How NOT To Win A Guy's Heart
by Chocolatiee
Summary: Bella made a bet with Rosalie Hale that she could get school quarterback Edward Cullen to ask her out to the biggest dance of the year. It's too bad Edward doesn't know that she exists... Yet. All human!
1. How To Win a Guy's Heart

HOW TO WIN A GUY'S HEART IN TWO WEEKS

Bat your eyelashes.

Apply super-scented lip gloss in his presence.

Giggle often. Even if nothing is funny.

Touch his arm while he's talking to you.

Flip you hair.

Wave.

Preferably at the same time.

Don't seem eager when he asks you out.

Go to all his football games.

Get him so obsessed with you that he wants to know where you are, when you'll be back, and who you're with. (WARNING: THIS PLAN MAY BACKFIRE)

HOW _NOT_ TO WIN A GUY'S HEART IN TWO WEEKS

Introduce him to your dad on your first date.

Ask him if you can drive his car.

Crash his car into a fence.

Stab him in the eye with your lip gloss applier.

Let him catch you searching through the dumpster.

Hit him over the head with your desk chair.

Cause him to fall out your window, after you hit him over the head with your desk chair.

Cause him to break his arm, meaning he will not be able to play in the football finals, after he falls out your window because you hit him over the head with your desk chair.

Tell him his best friend is 'totally hot'.

Tell him it was all for a bet.


	2. How To Make The Bet

"They're _so_ cute together."

I sighed and stared at one of my best friends, Alice Cullen, with her boyfriend of the moment, Jasper Hale. Jessica was right. They were _really_ cute together.

"I know," I replied, pushing my mashed potatoes to one side of my tray with my fork. Alice looked so happy—unlike me, she had a date to the Masquerade Ball.

Although I didn't actually _want_ to go to the Ball (it would involve _dancing_), if a certain someone asked me, I wouldn't exactly turn down their offer.

But considering that it was highly unlikely _I _would get a date—how could I, with Rosalie and Alice and Jessica around?—on the night of the MB, I was planning on sitting on my couch, munching on popcorn with the movie theatre butter, while watching _The Titanic_.

"Mike said he's renting a _limo!_" Jessica informed me, bouncing up and down in her chair. "Can you believe that, Bella? An actual _limo!_ And Angela and Ben are riding with us." She looked at Alice and Jasper again. "Maybe Alice'll ride with us too?"

"They're probably going with Rosalie," I told her, wanting to change the subject. "Jasper and Rosalie are brother and sister, remember? But, anyways, you know that biology project we have to do? I was thinking instead of getting a poster board, we could make a 3D—"

"Do you think I'd look better in gold or purple?" Jessica asked. "And should I wear coloured nail polish, or is that too middle school? Should I play if safe and just get a plain French manicure, maybe?"

"Um, I don't know, Jess. Maybe—"

"And what about shoes?" She gasped suddenly. "I NEED TO GO SHOE SHOPPING."

"Of course," I muttered to the table. Hopefully the day she decided to go shoe shopping I'd come down with a case of the smallpox, unable to go with her to the mall.

"And should I do my hair curly or straight—or an updo?" She didn't wait for my reply. "Updo, definitely."

I rolled my eyes, letting them wander off, across the cafeteria... to the table by the window...

They stopped on Edward Cullen.

He was sitting in the middle of the table, surrounded by his fellow football players, and a bunch of cheerleaders—Rosalie Hale, Ginger Radley... the whole lot. He shook his bronze-coloured hair from his eyes as he laughed at a joke Emmett, the guard on the team, had just said.

And, I know, he looks fantastic on the outside. But on the inside, too...

Well he's _deep_. One day in English we had to share our stories with the class, and when he read his, it was a modern version of Romeo and Juliet, basically. I swooned when he read the part where the guy serenaded the girl under her balcony with his electric guitar...

"Bella!" Jessica said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Bella! So what do you think?"

My eyes still on Edward, I mumbled, "About what?"

"About a shawl!"

I looked away from Edward to her. "Oh, um, no. According to Alice, shawls are—"

"Last season." Alice plopped down beside me, a huge grin on her face. "Shawls are _very_ last season, actually, Jess." She blew a bubble with her gum. "I wouldn't wear one to the MB, if that's what you're planning on."

Jessica, who worshipped the ground Alice walked on ever since she informed her in grade one that pink and blue _did not match_, nodded enthusiastically. "You're right, Alice." Then she leaned in closer. "So, um, Mike's renting this limo for the MB. And I was wondering if you and Jasper..."

Was this _all_ they could talk about?

"Um, I lost my appetite," I announced, standing up.

"Oh, that'd be fun!" Alice exclaimed. It took me a second to realize she was talking to Jessica about the limo, not to me. "I'm sure we'd love to do that! I'll just have to clear it with Jasper, of course..."

"I'll be in the library?" I tried.

"...Definitely halter. Over-the-shoulder just doesn't _work_ now-a-days..."

"Alright. I'll see you guys in algebra, then."

They went on about the color yellow versus blue as I walked out of the cafeteria and began up the stairs to the library. That was how it was going to be at lunch for the next two weeks. The Masquerade Ball was all everyone cared about. All Alice and Jessica would care about.

I either needed to get over it, or get a date.

Just as I was about to go into the library, the doors opened towards me. One of them caught my left leg, and I landed on my butt, while the other one whacked me in the head.

_Ow._

"Oh God—I'm sorry..."

As soon as the familiar scent of Axe cologne, and heard that voice, I felt my cheeks heat up. I had just fallen on my butt in front of Edward Cullen.

"Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down next to me. His eyes were very green. "That was quite the fall, wasn't it?"

"I'm... fine" was all I could manage as I got up and brushed off my jeans. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Do you need ice? I can take you to the nurse..."

"I'm fine," I repeated. I wasn't sure if I could say any words more than a syllable.

He smiled, almost blinding me with his pearly whites. "I think I'll get you some ice for your head. Just..." Edward motioned to the floor. "Have a seat. I'll be right back."

He took off down the hallway, towards the nurse's office, and I couldn't help but feel a little faint. And pathetic. I mean, he was _Edward Cullen_. He was never going to take any interest in _me_—Bella Swan. His little sister's best friend.

"Sorry, it's not happening."

I jumped at the voice and spun around. A pang went through my head, but I ignored it and turned to face...

Rosalie Hale.

"What isn't?" I questioned, like I didn't already know.

She was leaning against the wall, arms crossed across her chest, and her right ankle over her left. When I spoke, she smirked. "You and Cullen." Rosalie jerked her head towards the hallway where Edward had disappeared.

"I didn't say it was."

"I saw your interest, though." She was clenching her jaw, speaking through her teeth. "And, I just want to warn you now."

"Warn me?"

Inspecting her cuticles, she said, "You're going to tell me you _don't_ want him?"

"Well, I—"

"Edward Cullen, he's mine, okay?"

Whoa. Where'd _that_ come from?

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Just—stay back. Nothing will happen. You won't get hurt." She looked up from her nails. Then she laughed. "But, it isn't like he'd even consider..." Her eyes ran from my old, worn-out sneakers, to the top of my ponytail. "You know."

"You know _what_?" I took a step towards her. Another pang reverberated through my head. "I think, if I wanted, I could have Edward Cullen like"—I snapped my fingers here—"_that_."

"Oh, you do, do you?" She didn't look convinced.

"Yes! I do!" I placed a hand on my hip. I didn't realize what I was saying until the words had come out. "Any day, anytime, anywhere."

"Really?" Smirking wider at me, she stepped closer to me. Her fruity perfume didn't help the pain in my head. "I bet you _couldn't_."

"I bet I _could_."

"How much?"

I blinked. "Wait—what? What do you mean, how much?"

Tilting her head, she told me: "A bet isn't a bet without a consequence." Rosalie tapped her chin with her index finger. "So, let's see here, if you can get Edward Cullen to ask you to the Masquerade Ball, and the two of you go together, AS A COUPLE, then you win. And if you don't, then you loose. Hmm... and the loser has to put on the mascot costume—"

"The _chicken_?"

"—and run around the school in it." I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off. "And their face has to be revealed."

"I didn't agree to _any _of this though—"

"Lacking confidence? You _know_ that you'll lose, don't you?"

Taking a deep breath in, I narrowed my eyes and straightened my posture. "No, actually, I'm pretty sure I'd _win_. So, why not? If I go to the Masquerade Ball with Edward Cullen, then I win. If I don't, I lose. And the loser runs around in the chicken costume, face revealed to the public."

I stuck out my hand and we shook on it.

"Good luck." She turned to leave. Right before she turned the corner to leave the hallway, she glanced at me over her shoulder. "You're going to need it."

She left me alone, standing outside the library doors, leaving me to ponder what the hell I had just done.

**A/N: That was sorta fast-paced, wasn't it? =/ **

**Well anyways, tell me what you think? The actual action is going to start the next chapter... the stuff that has to do with those lists. So... yeah. Review? I'd be really happy if you guys did... ;D Thanks!**


	3. How To Apply Lip Gloss

The lip gloss Alice handed me felt heavy in my hands. Like it contained my fate.

"You just need to walk up there." She motioned to where Edward was sitting, laughing at something Emmett said. "And apply it."

I shifted uneasily in my desk. "I don't know, can't you just put in a good word for me at supper tonight? It'd be an easy conversation starter."

Alice shook her head. "Bella, I can't. This is _your_ bet, not mine," she said firmly. "Go."

I almost regretted telling Alice about the Bet. Last night, when I had gone to her house to help her decide on accessories for the MB, it had just all come out. Even the part about landing on my butt. Alice had told me she'd do whatever it took to get me to win the Bet—it was against Rosalie, after all. Rosalie—who had 'accidentally' dumped spaghetti down Alice's shirt, earlier that year.

But, apparently, direct interference wasn't acceptable.

"Just sit in that desk behind him, and apply. Trust me, he'll smell it. This is the uber-scenty kind."

Great.

"I can't do it," I said, shaking my head and placing the lip gloss carefully on her desk, like I was afraid it would blow up. "This is ridiculous."

She shoved the lip gloss back in my hands. "Yes you _can_, Bells!" Alice leaned in closer. "You're social life depends on it!"

"Thanks for reminding me."

She didn't say anything else; she just gave my shoulders a shove. I jumped out of the desk before I crashed into the guy that was sitting across from me, while taking deep breaths in, out. In. Out.

Grabbing the lip gloss from Alice, I gave myself a pep talk. _You can do this_, I thought. _You can do this!_ _Just sit down, apply lip gloss. Sit down, apply lip gloss and—what? He'll ask you out to the MB? Yeah, riiight._

Positive thoughts.

_Yes, of course he'll ask you out to the MB! He almost killed you yesterday. Even if it IS for pity, you'll still win the bet, and Rosalie will have to run around in a chicken costume._

No. I couldn't do this. What was I thinking? This was _Rosalie Hale_. Blond-haired, blue-eyed, designer-wearing Rosalie Hale. She would be trying to win Edward, too. And there was no way in _hell_ that I could compete with _her_.

"Miss Swan! Can you please find a seat? The class is about to begin."

"Oh," I said. "Sorry." I turned to go back to my original seat, behind Alice, but she shook her head wildly and mouthed the word 'no' to me over and over again.

_Why not?_ I mouthed back.

_SIT THERE! _She pointed to the desk behind Edward's.

_No, I am NOT—_

"Miss Swan. Today please?"

Frowning grimly at Alice, I sat behind Edward and stared at the floor.

"Now that we're all settled... please open up your textbooks to page two hundred two..."

Oh, crap. My stuff was still on the other side of the room.

I stood up to go get it, but Mr. Samson said, "Miss Swan! Please have a seat!"

"I just need to—"

"_Have a seat_."

I sat and looked at Alice, who was smiling knowing at me. _Pass me my stuff_. I nodded my head in the direction of my bag.

_Share with Edward, _she mouthed, sticking my textbook in her bag.

"Well THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!" I yelled at her, a tad too loud.

The entire class turned to look at me.

"Problem, Miss Swan?"

"No. I'm fine." I sank deeper in my seat, wishing I could just disappear. "I just, um, forgot my textbook."

"Then share with someone." He sighed dramatically and turned back to write something on the chalkboard.

I thought about tapping Edward on the shoulder, and politely asking him if I could share, but the very thought sent chills up my spine. I would _not_ be sharing a textbook with Edward Cullen. Under no circumstance.

Instead of following along with the notes Mr. Samson was writing—I'd get them later, from Alice—, I played around with the lip gloss in my hands. I glanced at the flavour. _Fruity Tooty._ Something I would normally _never_ wear. Fruity smells just didn't appeal to me.

_Maybe I should put it on now..._

I cautiously un-twirled the cap and took the little brush thingie out. Okay, so how was I supposed to apply it so he noticed me? Slowly? Quickly? And what about smacking my lips, after? Would that help?

Suddenly, a paper airplane whizzed past my head, and landed perfectly in front of Edward. Mr. Samson didn't seem to notice, because he just went on with writing stuff on the chalkboard. Edward smiled his award-winning smile and glanced behind him, to see who had thrown it.

He stared right through me, to Rosalie. Rosalie flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled back, wiggling her fingers in what was supposed to be a wave.

Edward looked back at the airplane, and carefully unfolded it, so Mr. Samson wouldn't hear.

I accidentally on purpose dropped the lip gloss on the ground, that way I wouldn't look so conspicuous when I bent over to read the note.

**You, me, Bubble Tea. After school. :)**

I chewed on my lip. This _was_ bad. My social life _did_ depend on this—lip gloss and a textbook.

Before I could hesitate, I reached over, grabbed my lip gloss, and resurfaced with a fresh coat of Fruity Tooty on my lips. "Edward!" I exclaimed, loud enough for Rosalie to hear, but not enough for Mr. Samson to. It was too late to play it safe—besides, Rosalie was watching—so I smacked my lips. "I forgot my textbook... would you mind if I shared with you?"

His face was blank for a few seconds, and I was afraid he would actually say no, with Rosalie watching and everything. But then a flicker of recognition passed over him. "You're Bella, right? Alice's best friend!"

"Yeah," I said, trying not to sound agitated. "Alice's best friend!"

"And—I hit you with the library doors yesterday?"

I took in a deep breath. "Yep. That's me!"

"Well... then, just pull your desk up."

Stifling a sigh full of relief, I stood up and scooted my desk up a few feet up beside Edward. Mr. Samson turned around, but when he saw I wasn't doing anything horrible, he went back to the board.

The note that Rosalie had thrown Edward was at the top of the desk. I couldn't help but stare at it. Finally, I just moved the textbook up when Edward wasn't looking, hitting the paper and causing it to flutter to the ground.

Ha. Take that, Rosalie.

I was in the moment, so I took out the Fruity Tooty again and, this time, I _slowly_ applied it. First my bottom lip, and then my top, and then I rubbed them together. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined when the bottle slipped out of my hand and rolled onto the floor.

Rolling my eyes at myself, I bent over to pick it up. While I was down there, trying to grasp the smooth container in my hand, I heard Edward say something like, "How would go about doing question number four?"

"What?" I asked, finally getting the bottle and sitting back up. But somehow, the lip gloss brush was facing directly upward in my left hand, and he was facing me, since he had just been asking me a question...

I tried to drop the brush, but it was too late. I had stabbed him in the eye with Fruity Tooty.

"_OW!_" he cried, covering his eye with his hands. Everyone was staring at us, including Rosalie. "That stuff _BURNS! OW!_"

_Shit_.

"Ohmigod, I'm so sorry!" I looked around desperately for something that might cease the burning caused by Fruity Tooty, but didn't see anything. "I just—I didn't mean to—oh, I'm sorry!" I got up. "Maybe I should get you some water?"

"What happened?" Mr. Samson asked, glancing from me, to Edward, who was still clutching his eye.

"I, um, I should go get some water," I said to everyone, already walking out of the room.

"Here, let me help you with that Edward..." was the last thing I heard before exiting the room completely. It had come from Rosalie.

And that was when I knew.

I had to win this bet.

_I was going to win this bet_.

If it was the last thing I did.

**A/N: So... what do you guys think? =D**


	4. How To Dress To Impress

**A/N: I should say that not all the embarrassing stuff that happens in this story will be on those lists. You didn't think I'd spoil everything, did you? (: Annnnd review, please?**

Alice, Jessica and I sat in Alice's yellow Porsche. Somehow, the two of them had convinced me in going to the mall with them. Shopping. Eiy.

"For Edward Cullen to notice you," Jessica was saying, "you need some really hot shoes."

I knew I shouldn't have told her about the Bet.

"Alice, does Edward like girls with hot shoes?"

Alice stared at Jessica. "How in the world am I supposed to know? I don't ask him what kind of shoes he likes on a girl. We don't even live in the same house, remember? Our parents are divorced."

"Well find out so we can buy Bella some shoes."

"But, seriously guys, I don't _need_ really hot shoes. Why can't he like me for who's on the _inside_, and not what's on the outside?"

The two of them blinked. "Um, hello," Jessica said. "The MB is in _two weeks!_" She held up two fingers in front of my face, as if I didn't understand. "TWO WEEKS, Bella! And you haven't even decided what dress you're wearing!"

Alice said, "I know a guy's supposed to like you for the inside and all, but Edward can't find out what's inside of you in two weeks. You're going to need a backup plan." She snapped her fingers, like an idea had just occurred to her. "Like going to college! You don't _need_ it, but you should have it!"

"That has absolutely _nothing_ to do with this bet."

"That's what you think, Bella." I could see Jessica shake her head in the rear-view mirror. "That's what you think."

Since I wasn't in the mood for talking about hot shoes, I stared out the windshield at the street the rest of the way there, the radio blasting a new Justin Timberlake song.

"We're here!" Alice said, taking the keys out of the ignition. "We're here!"

"Yay," I said unenthusiastically. _This'll be fun._

First we went to clothing stores. I didn't even bother looking, because everything was over fifty dollars. My budget was twenty-five.

It was only when we went into one of those stores that sold toys, clothing, and antiques all in one shop that they acknowledged me. "Bella, look!" Jessica was pointing to the clearance racks. "All of this stuff is five dollars! You can buy five of these shirts with twenty-five bucks!"

I walked over, but as soon as I saw the shirts, I backed up a little. Ha-ha. Yeah, um, I was _not_ buying even one of those shirts.

Alice held up one with the text _Hot Stuff_. "Buy this one!"

"I'm not buying that."

"Then I'll buy it for you. It's only five dollars, and it'll get Edward's attention tomorrow at school!"

"Sometimes having attention isn't a good thing," I said.

"In your case, it is. Maybe he likes a girl who takes chances!" Jessica looked anxious. "C'mon, Bella! Buy it!"

I sighed and grabbed the shirt from their hands. Even though it was going to gather dust in the back of my closet for the next few years, the tags still attached, I bought it, so they would stop pestering me. "Happy now?" I asked them as we left the store. Jessica had decided on one that said _Don't 'Cha Wish Your Girlfriend Was Me? _and Alice got a tank top with the sequined letters, _Not A Cheerleader, But Better._

When Alice and Jessica shopped for their dresses, I held their other bags for them and critiqued what they tried on. Alice decided on a knee-length strapless purple dress, with a black belt under the bust, and Jessica got a shiny, gold dress that trailed all the way down to the floor.

"Are you getting one, Bella?" Alice asked me while they paid for their own.

"No." I laughed. "Not yet, anyways."

She shrugged. "Your loss."

The rest of the evening we spent shoe shopping. It turns out, shoe shopping is highly un-entertaining, because all you do is look at shoes, look for your size, try them on, take them off, look for a bigger size. Repeat. And then if you don't have socks on while you try them on, the salespeople get very mad at you.

By the time we were finally finished, I was exhausted. My feet were throbbing, and my hands were sore from holding the bags.

And it didn't help much when we walked out into the parking lot, and found that Alice's Porsche was no longer in the same spot it had been before.

"MY CAR!" she cried, dropping her bags on the cold pavement, and running into the empty parking space. She spun around in circles a few times before looking back at Jessica and me. "WHERE _IS IT?_"

"Are you sure you parked here?" Jessica questioned.

"Yes, I'm sure! THE BEST SPOT IN THE LOT! IT WAS _RIGHT HERE!_" She put a hand to her forehead and sat down on the ground. "Ohmigod. My Porsche just got stolen. YOU GUYS, MY PORSCHE JUST GOT STOLEN!"

"We'll search the lot." Jess dropped her bags down beside Alice, who was lying on the ground now, and motioned for me to do the same. "C'mon, Bella. It's nine thirty. We need to find the car."

I wanted to say that if someone stole the car, they wouldn't just put it somewhere else in the parking lot, but I didn't have the strength to open my mouth, so I carefully placed the bags down in front of Alice and followed Jessica around the lot, looking anywhere for even a glimpse of yellow.

Nothing.

So by the time we got back to Alice, I was sure my feet were covered in blisters.

"IT'S GONE, YOU GUYS!" Alice yelled at us from the ground. She was on her back, staring up at the stars, with both of her palms over her face. "MY _YELLOW PORSCHE IS GONE!_"

"Just, calm down, Alice, we'll go to the police station and report an auto theft."

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, JESSICA!" Alice lifted her head so she could see us. "DO NOT TELL ME TO _CALM DOWN _WHEN MY _TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS_ CAR IS _GONE_. WOULD _YOU BE CALM?_ YEAH. EXACTLY, JESSICA. _FREAKING EXACTLY!_"

Both of us stared at Alice for a few seconds.

"We need a ride home," I said finally.

"My parents are out of town." Jess shrugged. "And I don't want to go and call Mike at this hour... his parents get made when I call at _eight_. What about your dad?"

"He's at some murder scene..." I scratched my head. "He told me not to phone him tonight, and that he'd be home as soon as he could."

"CALL EDWARD!" Alice announced. "HE HAS A CAR!"

My heart began thumping at the sound of his name. "I don't think that's such a great idea..."

"Bella, we need to get home. It's nine thirty, and we're going to get robbed or attacked or something." Jessica sounded afraid. "So shut up and let's just call the most popular guy in school for a ride home. Besides, do you want to win this bet? You need to up your game. This is _Rosalie Hale _you're dealing with."

I wasn't sure where _that_ came from, but I shut up.

"HIS NUMBER'S IN MY CELL PHONE!" Alice reached into her pocket, took out her sleek, pink Razr, and threw it towards us. I scrambled to get it before it fell onto the ground. "Speed dial three!"

I gave the phone to Jessica. "You phone him."

She gave it back to me. "_You_ can do the honours."

"Ha ha, _no_. Here. Take it."

"SOMEONE JUST PHONE EDWARD _NOW_." She lifted her head up again. "Which means you, Bella."

Jessica gave me a triumphant look and backed off.

"Fine. Whatever." I flipped open the phone and hit speed dial number three. As soon as it rang once, I hung up, feeling like a middle schooler. "I can't do this," I said. "I can't just _phone_ Edward Cullen."

Jess shrugged. "Then phone Alice's big brother."

I opened it up again, and then shut it again. "No. I can't. I'm sorry."

"YOU WANNA WIN THE BET? THEN CALL HIM!"

I sighed. "Okay, okay. Fine. Whatever."

I hit number three, and, this time, I didn't hang up on the first ring.

Waiting as patiently as I could, my feet and hands throbbing, I couldn't help but think that I had _no_ chance at winning the Bet. Of course, I had to, if I valued my social life at Forks High School. And, maybe, this would be the first step to winning it all. To taking down Rosalie Hale.

"Hullo? Alice?"

His voice sent shudders through me. I wasn't sure if this was because I was nervous, or because of my developing headache. "Um, sorry, this isn't Alice. This is her friend, Bella." I hesitated. "You know, the girl who stabbed you in the eye with the lip gloss today."

"Oh, hey. Why are you calling me from Alice's cell phone?"

"Um, we kind of went to the mall—"

_Kind of went to the mall? Smooth, Bella._

"—and when we came out, Alice's car was gone."

"Her—yellow Porsche?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my God."

"Yeah. I know. But, uh, we sort of need a ride back now, because the parking lot is deserted, and Alice is on the ground screaming for her Porsche, and Jessica is comforting her. So neither of them is a real help at all."

Thank God Jessica and Alice weren't listening. If any of us weren't helping in this situation, it'd probably be me.

"You want me to pick you guys up?"

His tone, I noticed, was very big-brothery. He was not attracted to me, clearly, in any way.

"Yeah. I guess."

"I'll be right there."

He hung up.

When Edward's silver Volvo pulled into the parking space next to us, I felt relieved and anxious and regretful all in one. Relieved that we wouldn't be forced to walk, anxious to get in the car and get home, away from everyone and everything else, and regretful that I had even come to the mall in the first place.

Edward Cullen got out of the car in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, muscles bulging out from under it. The first thing he did was go over to Alice, help her off the ground, and strap her into the backseat. She took up two of the seats. "One of you should stay with her," he said.

Jessica, who I decided I hated at this point, got into the back with Alice, leaving me to sit in the front with Edward.

"Grab your bags, Bella," he said to me. For some reason, I got a warm fuzzy feeling by the way he said my name. "Here, I'll get Alice's." He bent over to help me gather the bags, and I picked up the one with the three T-shirts in it. I didn't want to look like a total loser, so I would just take this one. I'd give Jess and Alice their shirts tomorrow.

"I can take it if you want." He reached for my bag, and my hands fumbled to keep it away from him. Fumbled a little _too_ much. The bag fell onto the ground, and before I could gather the shirts, he picked them up.

My whole face heated up as I watched his eyes scan over the text. Oh God. The words rushed through my head. _Don't 'Cha Wish Your Girlfriend Was Me. Not A Cheerleader, But Better. Hot Stuff. _

Freaking _Hot Stuff._

"These are yours?" He had an amused smile on his face.

"No," I said quickly, grabbing the shirts from him and stuffing them back in the bag. I leaned over so my hair covered my bright red face. "They're Alice's and Jessica's."

He didn't look convinced.

_Great start, Bella, _I thought to myself, as I got into the passenger's seat of the car. _Great start. _


	5. How To Dig Deep

Less than two weeks.

I had less than two weeks to get Edward Cullen to ask me out.

I knew this was _not_ good. Edward Cullen, was... well... _Edward Cullen. _Quarterback of the football team. Bestselling author in-the-making. A girl magnet. And if he was famous, he'd probably be on _People_ magazine's _100 Most Beautiful People_ issue. Like, top ten at the very least.

And me—I was _Bella Swan_. No extra curriculars whatsoever, average-looking, and _definitely_ not a guy magnet. Actually, the only boyfriend I ever actually had was in ninth grade, and that hadn't turned out so well. He'd taken me to a monster truck rally, and on the ride where you sit in the back of the truck, I fell out and broke my wrist. I doubted that trying to get Edward Cullen to notice me would be any different, if not worse.

"Miss Swan!"

I snapped out of the trance I had been in so abruptly that I dropped my pencil on the ground.

"Yes?" I said to Mr. Banner, who was standing at the front of the room, tapping his foot impatiently.

"What is the answer?"

I blinked. "Uh—to what?"

"The question I just asked."

"Oh... right... uh..." _Biology. Think of a biological answer, Bella._ "I was thinking, and, I couldn't, er, decide on which, you know, species it is."

He just stared. "_Species_? Miss Swan, I just asked if you know your blood type or not. I hardly believe yours is of a different _species._"

A few people snickered, and my face heated up.

"Anyways!" Mr. Banner slapped his ruler down on the table of a girl in the front row, who was leaving a puddle of drool on her assignment. She woke up, and he continued. "This year, at Forks High, we will be having a science fair!"

Everyone groaned.

"There's a prize."

Everyone groaned again. Last year's prize was a fifty dollar certificate to the store that sold mostly all science stuff and a day off from school. The catch was that you either had to spend the entire day working at the science shop, or doing charity work.

"This year's prize is a thousand dollars."

We all were waiting for him to add, "To the Science Store," but he didn't. He left it at that and moved on. Everybody erupted in rounds of talking.

"Shush!" He slapped the ruler on the desk again. "I'm not done speaking! This year, you will also have a partner—"

I automatically looked to the other side of the room at Jessica, since Alice wasn't in this class. She was already looking back at me. She nodded, and we had an understanding. We were going to win this thing.

"—that we will be choosing at random." He must have seen the looks of confusion around the room, because he said, "I have placed your names on a sheet of paper, and put them in a hat. Then, going by the attendance list, backwards, you will each choose a name from the hat, and that will be your partner." Mr. Banner held up a Yankees baseball cap.

I wondered if there was a possible way to rig the hat so I got Jessica's name.

"Miss Wilson!" Mr. Banner gestured to the girl who had recently woken up from her nap. "You're up first."

The girl, Lisa Wilson, looked nervous as she took the hat from Mr. Banner. Shakily, she reached inside the baseball cap and pulled out a tiny slip of paper. After waiting a few seconds, she unfolded it, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Samantha Eddis," she read aloud. I was guessing they were friends, because they high-fived each other afterwards. I could only pray I'd be that lucky.

A few more kids went up, without picking Jess, and, finally, Mr. Banner said, "Miss Swan. You're turn."

I walked up to the front of the room, my knees almost about to give out on me. With my luck, I'd pick Rosalie. And then that'd probably ruin my chances of winning the thousand dollars, since Rosalie wouldn't even _try_—her family had enough money as it was.

"Go ahead." He thrust the cap towards me.

I repeated Jessica's name over and over again in my head as I dug around inside the cap. _Jessica Stanley. Jessica Stanley. Jessica Stanley. Jessica Stanley. _

Five seconds past, and, eventually, I decided on a slip of paper. I jerked it out of the hat and held it in my sweaty palms, just for a few moments. If this was Rosalie's, I was going to strangle someone.

Gingerly, I opened the paper.

Dammit.

I wished I got Rosalie's.

"Who did you get, Miss Swan?" Mr. Banner asked.

"I, um..." I sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Edward Cullen."

Everyone seemed to gasp at the same time, Rosalie's most audible. And to hear her surprised tone, was almost worth it all.

Almost.

***

Thankfully, after that, the class ended. I talked with Edward just a little bit the rest of the day. We didn't decide what we were going to do for the science project, but he said he wanted to do something about the environment, which I thought was really sweet of him.

As I was walking out to my truck, I saw Rosalie's sheep-like followers, Ginger and Hailey, standing beside my truck. I noted they were holding something—dark blue, not very big...

_That was my bag!_

What were they doing with my _bag_? I had left it in my locker! How had they even gotten it out?

When they saw that I had seen them, the two of them took off, my bag in hand. I dropped my binder and ran, hot on their trail, yelling, "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING WITH MY BAG?"

I swear if they were doing something for Rosalie...

They hurled it into the blue, smelly dumpster on the other side of the parking lot. I stopped in my tracks and just watched as they dashed away, back through the lot, and into the school again, giggling and throwing their shiny hair behind their shoulders.

_Ohmigod. My bag is in the dumpster. That has my homework in it. That has my _TEXTBOOKS_ in it. My sixty dollar, hardcover textbooks. In the dumpster. With yesterday's lunches. With a bunch of garbage. _WITH GARBAGE!!"

Hastily, I glanced around to make sure nobody was looking. Was I really going to do this?

Well, I had to get my bag, didn't I? I would get detention without that bag.

I made my way over to the dumpster, and the smell of old lunchmeat got thicker and thicker with every step. By the time I was just a few yards away, I had pulled my T-shirt up over my nose and mouth, and was trying not to breathe at all.

"Oh _God_," I muttered, slowly lifting the roof of the dumpster up. The stench that arose was worse than a locker room full of sweaty hockey equipment. "Ohmigod."

Carefully, half my face still covered by my shirt, I looked in the dumpster. What I saw, mostly, was no surprise: bags full of trash, some of it spilling out; some of it even had green stuff sprouting from inside. A few odd bugs crawled and flew around, which didn't help me at all. My bag had fallen on top of a few piles of trash, near the back of the dumpster.

I shut the lid and squinted around the lot again. When my eyes stopped on a bucket, hiding behind a thick patch of grass, I rushed over, and back, and placed it in between the lid of the dumpster and the ledge, propping the lid up so I could hoist myself onto the ledge, without my head touching the top, and grab my bag.

"Come on," I grumbled. My fingers just touched the strap of the bag. I pulled myself in a little more. "_Come on!_"

My hand grasped it, and I smiled to myself. _Yes_. I began to pull, but the trash pile holding my bag up suddenly decided to collapse, and so it fell deeper into the dumpster, onto the floor, into God knows what.

"Shit," I said aloud. Now I'd have to go in even more.

After making sure the bucket was still in its position, I used the ledge of the dumpster to push myself in deeper. It got to the point where my entire upper body was inside, and I was just hanging on by my legs. The smell by now was overwhelming, and I was forced to hold my breath as long as I could—then, when I couldn't any longer, I'd take in one big breath, and start over.

The bag was only a few centimetres away, now. I could almost reach it. I wiggled my legs a little to give me more momentum. On the count of three, I would pull with my arms, and strain my legs so I wouldn't fall in. Then I'd jump out of the dumpster, drive home, and take a long, relaxing shower.

"One... two... _three!_"

I lunged.

But at the exact time I let go of the wall with my hands, someone from outside said my name.

My legs lost their hold on the outside of the dumpster, and they slid sideways, knocking the bucket over. The lid began to close, and before it could break my legs, I shoved my whole body inside of the dumpster, landing on the piles of garbage and the flies and creepy crawlers.

Very pleasant.

"Uh—Bella?" The dumpster's top gradually creaked open, to reveal Edward Cullen, and his best friend, Emmett, standing above me. "What are you doing in the dumpster?"

_Rosalie Hale's minions put my bag in here, and I needed to get it. _

That was a stupid answer. I couldn't say that.

"I—uh—" I stood up and jumped out, keeping my distance, because I was pretty sure now I stunk as much as the garbage. "I was doing research."

"For... what?"

_Yes, for what, Bella? What were you doing research for in the DUMPSTER?_

"Um, you know." I nodded, like it was obvious.

Edward glanced at Emmett, as if to ask _him_ if he understood. "No... I don't know."

_Neither do I. _

"OUR PROJECT!" I cried out so loudly, Emmett looked taken aback. "Our project, of course! The science one! Remember? You wanted to do one on the environment so I was, uh... looking at what is recyclable and... decomposable... that kind of thing!"

"Oh." Edward looked at the dumpster, and then back at me. "I see. So is that what we're doing our project on?"

I put on my sweetest smile and flipped my hair over my shoulder, like Alice had suggested. A banana peel fell off my shoulder. "Yes!"

Then I walked to my truck, not caring about my bag.

***

"Did you have a good day, Bells?" my dad, Charlie, asked as soon as I walked in the door. Then he immediately covered his nose. "What is that smell?"

"Please," I said, already on my way to start a shower. "Don't ask."

**A/N: Sooo, what did you guys think?**


	6. AN Please Read

**Hey, guys. I just wanted to let you all know I have major studying I have to do, and training for this relay thing coming up next week. Meaning I won't be writing until it's all over—probably sometime after Monday.**

**And since my final exams are coming up—and if I don't do well on them, my average will go dowwwwn... they're worth over thirteen percent of my grade—I **_**need**_** to study. I've even asked my little brother to hide all my books, so I have nothing to do but study the area of composite figures, and research how in the world to hold the baton thing during relay.**

**And, so, that's that. I just thought I'd let everyone know why exactly I won't be updating for a few days.**


	7. How To Compliment The Guy

"So it's on the environment. Biodegradable stuff and—stuff."

Edward nodded and flipped through a book on going green. "Yeah. How are we going to do this? Are we going to do an experiment or just research or both?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe we could—I don't know."

"What did you find out when you were in the dumpster?"

_What _had_ I found out? _

"That all garbage smells," I muttered. "Decomposable or biodegradable or not."

He laughed through his nose and flipped another page. "Emmett and his partner, I forget his name, they're doing something on reflecting light." He paused. "You know Emmett, right?"

"Oh, yeah, mhmm." I nodded. "Football team Emmett?"

"Football team Emmett," he confirmed.

"Right, right." I took a sip of my drink. "He's pretty hot."

For a few seconds, he stared at me, and I stared back, wondering why he was staring. Then I realized I had been speaking out loud, instead of just thinking.

"Oh shit," I said, putting my hands over my mouth. "I didn't—I meant to think that. I mean, I didn't actually _think_ it, it just sort of came out."

He didn't say anything.

"Not that he's not hot," I added quickly. "I mean, I guess he is, but you're okay too. I mean, I wasn't thinking _that_ either, I just..."

Wow.

Blushing furiously, I glared down at my book. Darn it. Darn it darn it darn it.

That was when Alice, who had abandoned the two of us to grab something to eat at McDonalds, plopped down beside me, pinching my side as she did so. She couldn't have had better timing. Or maybe she could have. _Before_ I had informed Edward that his best friend was pretty hot.

"Hey, Bella. Edward." She was already wolfing down her fries. Alice looked at me again. "Bella, have you told Edward yet?"

Now both of them were looking at me. I chewed on the straw of my drink. "Told him _what?_" I asked.

"About you, me, him and Jasper going to that restaurant over the weekend?" Under the table she nudged my foot with hers. "You know the one."

It took me a second.

"Oh," I said finally. "_Oh oh oh. _Right, um, no, I forgot."

"Well, Edward." Alice leaned over the table while still eating her fries. "I booked us a reservation at this really nice place. The four of us. I had already invited Bella, but I knew she wouldn't want to come along as a third wheel. And, since you're my brother, you _have _to come. It's, like, not even a question."

Edward, who had just been staring at Alice as she blabbed on about this, said, "Oh. Okay. Well, I guess I'll be able to come. Where is it?"

Alice picked at a loose thread on her T-shirt. "Vino."

She was referring to the brand new, formal and expensive, Italian restaurant. I remembered faintly hearing Rosalie talk to her clones about trying to get her dad to book her a reservation at it, but not being able to get one until sometime in the summer. Apparently this restaurant was owned by a very famous chef.

"Vino," I echoed. "You were able to get a reservation at Vino. Why can't we just go to, like, a diner on the freeway or something?"

"Because this is more proper and better for discussion!" she exclaimed. "Plus, my mom's second cousin's sister's daughter is one of the hostesses there, and she knows the chef _personally_." She paused, and then, as if we were not clear on this part, said, "_Personally,_" again.

"That'll be..." Edward was searching for the right word. "_Nice_."

"It will!" Alice nodded enthusiastically. "_Very_ nice, actually." And then: "_Very._"

**A/N: Woooow, guys, I'm really really sorry I haven't updated in weeks. But there's been a few things going on that haven't really been good for me. I'll be trying to update more now, that school is out, but I really really AM sorry.**

**And I know this is short, but I want the next part to be a chapter all by itself. I really think you guys will like the next chapter. =D **


	8. Sorry Guys, AN

**A/N: **

**Okay, guys, I'm sorry for what happened with the chapter in this fanfiction. I wrote the story around midnight, and was so excited to publish it (even if it **_**wasn't **_**that long) that I **_**clicked the wrong document.**_

**At the moment I feel **_**so**_** stupid for making this mistake. It was up there for quite a few hours for anyone to read. This morning my friend asked me who Melanie was, and she is a character from my **_**other Twilight fanfic. **_

**I know it must have confused a lot of you, so I'm very very sorry for the mistake. But because of that I'm going to try and get the next chapter published ASAP. **

**& I'm sorry D:**


	9. How To Impress Him

I was just finishing up applying my mascara when Alice called. She had personalized her caller ID on my cell phone to a happy and upbeat tune. I situated the phone in between my ear and my shoulder. "Hello."

"Okay, so Jasper has the stomach flu."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Jasper _has the stomach flu. _Which means that he can't come to Vino with us. But when he called me to tell me, he sounded so weak it was just sad. So I think instead of going out to eat pasta and garlic bread I'll be going to his house, bringing along my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup."

For a few seconds I said nothing. "Huh?"

"Jasper and I aren't going."

"Um, yeah, Jasper and you ARE going. Because I am _not_, I repeat _not_, going to Vino with just your brother, Alice. No way in _hell._"

"Bella, come on, this is like, fate or something. He's on his way, I already told him I'm not going, but that you two _have_ to since I went through all that trouble to get the reservation booked. I gave him the address to your house, so he should be there any minute."

"Alice," I said. "I can't. _You _can't leave me like this. What are we supposed to talk about? We can't talk about biodegradable garbage in _Vino. _Plus we have nothing in common."

"Bella, it doesn't matter. Just be like Rosalie. And you'll be fine."

I shook my head even though she wasn't able to see it. "But, Alice—"

Just then my dad called up the stairs, "BELLA, HE'S HERE!"

"Alice," I said quickly. "Please. Call him or something. Get him home. I know you went through so much trouble to get that reservation and everything, for me, but do _this_ for me now and _please please please_—"

Then I realized then that she had hung up, and I was talking to an empty phone line.

Hurriedly, I glanced around my room for some sort of an escape. Maybe I could accidentally cut my finger off with the fan? Or poke an eye out with the lip-gloss brush? I was contemplating the former when my door flung open. "Bella," my dad said. "Edward's outside, waiting in the car."

If I fainted now from dehydration—

"C'mon." He jerked his head. "He's _waiting_."

Sighing, I followed my dad out my door, down the stairs, and into the living room. _Well, _I thought. _It could be worse. He could've _came in _to get you—_

The doorbell rang.

Wonderful.

My dad looked awkward as he opened the door. Edward, who was in a dress shirt and a tie, somehow was appearing as even _more_ awkward. "Hello, Chief Swan," he said. "Hello, Bella. Are you ready to go?"

"Um...." _No. _"Yes."

"Hello, Edward," my father was saying now, a delayed reaction. He had one hand on the wall beside him, where his gun for work was hanging up. I rolled my eyes. "You kids don't be out too late, okay?" He was staring at Edward as he said this.

Edward shifted his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Okay, Chief Swan."

"Okay. I'll see you, uh, later, Dad."

Edward and I walked out the door, the whole time Charlie's eyes were on Edward's back. He didn't go back inside—where he then looked out the window at us, as if we weren't able to see him—until we were beside his truck.

_Be like Rosalie_, Alice's words hung in my head.

_Okay, Bella. Be like Rosalie. What would Rosalie do? She'd compliment him. No. Don't do that. Rosalie would take a chance. Rosalie would say something that would surprise Edward Cullen so much he'd have nothing but respect for her. And that's what you need from him. Respect. Therefore that's what you need to do. Take a chance. A _big_ chance. _

"This is a nice car," I said suddenly, running my hand over the hood of the Volvo. Edward was standing right outside the driver's side door, ready to hop in and drive to Vino.

"Thanks," he replied.

"I love cars," I informed him. _Take a chance. _"Do you think I could, I don't know, drive it?"

For a few seconds he just stared at me. Like, _really_ stared. He stared so hard my whole face, including my ears, was burning red. Had I said the wrong thing?

"Um." He slowly began to nod. "Sure. Why not?"

"Cool," I said, smiling. We switched sides, and I slid into the leathery driver's seat. The Volvo still had that nice new car smell. "You have the keys?" When he dropped them into my hands I put it into the ignition and took the car out of park and into reverse. After backing out of the driveway, I started towards the main street.

"You can go a little faster," he told me, and I nodded, already pushing the gas pedal down a tad farther. The Volvo sped up instantly, and then we were on the main road, cruising past other vehicles.

"This is fun," I said, because my truck didn't usually ride over the roads so smoothly.

"Uh, yeah—holy shit, LOOK OUT."

I gasped audibly when I saw that we were heading straight for a construction zone, and a rather large hole about a hundred metres away, surrounded by DO NOT ENTER tape.

"TURN!" he cried, clutching the sides of his seat.

"I AM I AM!"

I threw the steering wheel to the left and the Volvo swerved safely away from the hole and into oncoming traffic. People honked their horns at us as I got back into the right lane, trying to calm my breathing.

"My God," Edward said, leaning back in his leather chair. "That was close."

Just as I was about to say, "I know," a cat pranced out in front of the car. I jerked the steering wheel again, and somehow the car spun around a few times, and then we were going down into a ditch, backwards. I was screaming, Edward was screaming. The back bumper hit something, hard, and I was about to fly into the steering wheel when the airbags went off, making a big _WHOOSH_ noise. Beside me I noticed Edward flying into the airbag wildly, and from behind us I heard something heavy fall onto the ground. I suspected this was the bumper.

"Oh. My. God," I mumbled while the airbags slowly sunk down. I glanced over at Edward. He was staring straight ahead, at the steep hill we had fallen down—his eyes were wide, face bright red, and mouth slightly agape.

So I said the only think I could think of. "Damn cat."

**A/N: Tell me what you guys think? Pretty please? =D More reviews will help me update faster!**


	10. How To Fight For Him

"I'll pay."

Edward looked at me. "I can't let you do that."

I already had my wallet out. "No, really, I was the one that ran it into a ditch. I should at least be able to pay for it, right?" I took out the two fifty dollar bills my dad had lent me for tonight. "Here."

He pushed them back towards me. "Bella, it's okay."

When he said my name—how his lips shaped the sound of each letter—it made me get butterflies in my stomach. I recovered and then shook my head. "Seriously. Just take the money. That should cover, like, half of it right?"

"Um." Edward stared at his feet. "It's two thousand."

"Holy shit," I said aloud. "_Two thousand?_"

"For parts and repairs..." He nodded. "Yeah. Two thousand."

_My God. _

"I can, um..." I stuffed the hundred dollars back in my wallet, because obviously it wasn't going to help. "I can get a loan from my dad. Or maybe I could get a job. That'd be good because—"

"Bella," he said, and something inside me fluttered again. "It's okay. I got it."

"But Alice's Porsche just got stolen and I don't want your parents to have to pay for all those car troubles that were all mostly all my fault and—"

"Really."

I blinked twice and drummed my fingers along the counter. We were standing at the mechanic's office, and the clerk was looking at us, annoyed, impatient. We'd been talking and arguing about who was going to pay for the repairs.

"So." The clerk popped her bubblegum. "Are you gonna pay or do you wanna have it towed back, too?"

"We're gonna pay," Edward told her, and I noticed that she was completely and obviously checking him out. He hardly seemed to see that—or maybe he just simply didn't care because he had bigger problems—because he took his Visa out from his wallet and then turned back to me.

"I'm so sorry," I said for the billionth or so time this night. "I'm really, _really_ sorry. I mean, it was just, the cat was there, and I didn't want to, you know, run it over or anything, so, I just turned, but I didn't see the ditch, and then we were in a ditch anyways, and I'm just really really _REALLY_ sorry." And then, "Really."

"It's fine, really, Bella. Accidents happen."

I sighed, frustrated (but with the butterflies in my stomach), turned around and leaned on the counter. _But two thousand dollar mistakes only happen to people like me._

***

"You _WHAT?_"

I pulled the phone away from my ear, afraid that Alice had just permanently damaged my eardrum. "I crashed his car," I said again, this time more quietly than the last.

"BELLA! How do these things even _happen_ to you? I mean, one minute you're acting all confidently, and the next it's like BAM!" I pulled it away again. There went my other ear. "Something goes wrong! Maybe you just shouldn't act confident. Maybe you should just be yourself and if we're lucky nothing will go wrong."

I snorted at that and flipped over to lie on my back. "Be myself, Alice? Really? When there are Rosalie's roaming the Earth with blonde hair and blue eyes and designer clothes and big chests? You honestly tell me to _be myself?_ That's the best advice you can come up with right now?"

I heard her sigh. "Well they haven't found my car yet, Bella, so what do you want me to say?"

"I don't know." I stared at the ceiling. After Edward and I had left the mechanic place, I had to call my dad to come pick us up, since his dad was working at the hospital and his mom vacationing in Las Vegas. Which hadn't gone very well, to say the least.

"So," Charlie had said while we both piled into the backseat. I wasn't sure if it would've been rude to sit in the front, and leave Edward in the back, so I made some lame excuse about not being tall enough to sit in a seat with an airbag (this received a questionable look from Charlie) and buckled up. "How was the evening?"

Not sure if this was rhetorical or not—did he really need to ask that question, given where we were?—I ignored him completely and glared at the seat in front of me.

"How was the evening?" he repeated.

"It was fine, sir," Edward replied flatly.

And that had been the end of conversation the whole car ride home. We sat in total silence—besides the faint buzzing of acoustic guitar playing on the radio. And when we'd dropped Edward off, I didn't want to walk him to the door, because wasn't that sort of a guy thing? And, judging by the way he looked at Rosalie sometimes, Edward didn't like it when girls did _guy things. _

So he'd gotten out of the car, and I waved awkwardly, and then he was gone.

"Anyways—" Alice paused. "Hold on. My other line is beeping."

I sighed. "Okay, whatever."

She didn't respond for a while. In fact, I think it was thirty minutes of my just laying on my bed until she came back on. "Um, Bella? I have to let you go. That's Jasper."

"Okay, whatever."

"I'll see you at school Monday."

"Okay, whatever."

"But, um, will you be all right?"

"I—"

"Good! I'll see you Monday!"

_Click._

***

How the hell the entire school found out about the driving incident is beyond me. But as soon as I walked in the doors Monday morning, people started coming up to me, asking me if I okay. When I assured them I was fine, thanks, and why wouldn't I be? they just replied that they heard about The Accident.

And that was how they said it. As if it was capitalized.

And, oh God, Edward avoided me up until the block we got for working on our project. He didn't say one word to me after that damn cat decided it was okay to prance in front of his shiny silver Volvo.

"So." Edward tapped his pencil on his desk awkwardly. Now that I thought about it, basically everything Edward did around me lately was awkward. "Should we compare biodegradable results to something like a plastic diaper?"

_Huh?_

"Yeah." I nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I'll get the diapers."

And, naturally, Rosalie had to walk by as soon as I said that. She snickered. "I always knew you had problems, Bella."

I clenched my jaw. There was no way I was getting into a fight with Rosalie. Not now. Not in front of Edward. If she wanted to take this out after school—

Who was I kidding?

"Just ignore her."

I blinked and looked up from my desktop, thinking it was someone like Alice who had just said that to me. But Alice wasn't there. Only Edward.

"What?" I said. Did he just tell me to _ignore Rosalie?_

"Just ignore her comments," he said. "They're really immature anyways."

_Immature?_ Ohmigod. He just called Rosalie _immature. _Did he want to go to the MB with an immature girl? No. That would be stupid. So did that mean—_could_ that mean—he possibly didn't like Rosalie? Anymore? Or was he just saying that to make me not feel like such a loser?

The latter, probably.

"Oh," I said. "Yeah—it's not worth it."

And that was what I thought. Until lunch came around.

***

Rosalie could insult me. I didn't care. Really, I didn't. Okay, maybe really, really, deep down I did care, but that was a small part of me. But the one thing I would not tolerate with Rosalie was insulting my friends.

She called Jessica a pig. This, I may add, is totally unfair. Jessica is skinner than me and Alice, I think. It wasn't her fault that that day at lunch the cafeteria was selling cupcakes. Jessica was addicted to cupcakes like a smoker is to nicotine. And, I mean, come on—so she bought four cupcakes—like Rosalie hadn't ever indulged in something other than Diet Coke?

So, when she called Jessica a pig, and then made a few, "Oink oinks," I was pissed. Really pissed. She'd done a lot to me. I let that go. But I was not—I repeat _not­_—going to let _this_ go.

Therefore I did something I normally wouldn't do. I stood up, out of my seat, before Rosalie could leave from calling Jessica a pig. My chair squeaked backwards, making a scraping noise against the floor, and it seemed like everyone turned to look.

And when Rosalie turned around to see what the hell I was doing I picked up one of the cupcakes and shoved it in her face.

And, I'll admit it, it felt good. Oh, it felt _really_ good, seeing that chocolate icing cover her perfectly made-up face. At least it did until she poured her Diet Coke over my head.

I swear, nobody was saying anything, nobody was _breathing_, when this was happening. Not even me. My heart was stopped in my chest.

"Bitch," she muttered.

That was when Jessica stood up and hurled another cupcake in her direction. Unfortunately, she ducked in time and it hit one of the eighty-pound girls that follow her around everywhere. And then that girl threw her spaghetti and meatballs at Jessica. And then Alice got into it too, and, before I knew what was happening, the whole cafeteria was throwing food at each other, and people were screaming, and the principal was coming in, trying to calm everybody down, which didn't work at all.

Eventually, though, everyone _did_ calm down, and Rosalie and I got sent to the principal's office, our clothes dripping with Monday's meatloaf surprise.

**A/N: Holy crap, guys, I feel so bad for not updating in, like, months. And I know I've said that before but I seriously do. I'm trying to update, I am, but this year I'm being swamped with homework and sports and all that stuff you guys probably have, too. **

**Blaaaaah. **


	11. How To Think Positive

Edward called me that evening.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking right now, _Wow, what a liar. Why would he call her after she crashed his car into a ditch??!!_

I'll tell you why. He needed to know how far I had gone in our science project, that's why.

Shut up. I'm not _that_ pathetic. I mean, He had to get my number from somewhere, didn't he? He had to go up to Alice and say _Hey, can I have Bella's phone number? I have a question about the science project. _And then she had to give the number—_my_ number—to him. Now I bet he has it in his cell phone under _Bella. _Isn't that sweet? Under _my name!_

Yeah, okay, whatever. I guess I _am_ that pathetic.

"I'm, um, pretty far," I told him, looking at my science notebook, full of doodles. I was currently working on a portrait of the Brady Bunch in the corner of the page. "I'm doing that plastic diaper idea you had. Taking a bunch of research, though, lemme tell you!"

"Don't do _too_ much of it," he said, "but bring what you have so far to school tomorrow."

So then, of course, I had to actually research that damn plastic diaper thing. Turns out they take years to decompose in landfills and stuff, while a banana peel takes nowhere near that long. I really didn't see where Edward was going with this, though. What was our project going to be, diapers made out of banana peels?

When I asked him this the next day, he just laughed and said, "You're a hoot, Bella."

Which is a good thing, I guess, but not if you seriously want to know if he's going to start designing diapers made of banana peels.

**A/N: Short, I know, but it didn't fit into the last chapter and I want what's coming next to be a chapter all on it's own... =] **

**Review everyoneeee? Pretty pleeease?**


	12. How To Kiss

**A/N: Review, review, reviewwwww! Please? **

**Sorry for not updating ASAP. It was Halloween, after all.**

**& I'm positive you guys will love the next chapter =]**

Rosalie, in every after-school detention we had together because of the food fight thing, told me I better be watching my back.

Really, I didn't think much of this. Who would? It _is_ Rosalie Hale, after all, and she says that threat to everyone that poses a threat to her. Buy the same Seven jeans as her? You better watch your back. Wear the same color shirt as her? You better watch your back. Shove a high-calorie cupcake in her face? You _definitely _better watch your back.

But, I mean, I had friends behind me no matter what I did, no matter what the outcome of the Bet was. Alice and Jessica would always be there to help me with bad hair days and when I was in need of a fashion consultant (which was pretty often, if I'm being honest with myself), or just when I needed support.

But Rosalie Hale was Rosalie Hale. She was cruel—she was _totally_ cruel—I just expected that, after the food fight thing, I had overcome a huge bump in the road, and now all my hatred for her, and that tension, had been cleared. Therefore I was home free.

Guess not.

It started when Edward and I were in the library during lunch, trying to think up some kind of way to incorporate the banana peel/plastic diaper thing for the project. Really, the whole Bet thing... it didn't even matter to me, anymore. I liked Edward much more than I had thought in the beginning.

"We could make biodegradable diapers," he suggested, taking a Smartie from the bowl I had set out in front of us. We had decided each time one of us gave an idea, we could eat a Smartie.

"Out of what, exactly?" I asked.

"Biodegradable material." He snatched another Smartie.

"That did not deserve a Smartie," I told him.

"Why not?"

"Biodegradable material isn't an _idea._ That part of it was so obvious. Therefore I need a Smartie to make up for the one you took that you didn't deserve." I reached into the bowl, but he grabbed my wrist.

"You don't deserve a Smartie either."

I leaned forward a little. "They are my Smarties in the first place. I will take one when I want one."

"You're breaking your own rules."

I smiled and, with the wrist he wasn't holding, grabbed a handful and shoved them all in my mouth. "What now?" I asked, except a bunch of little colourful pieces spit out of my mouth when I said it and onto the table. I burst into laughter, even though it was much more disgusting than funny—but, to my surprise, so did Edward.

But nothing really happened until Alice, Edward and I were walking out to Edward's car that day. They needed to give me a ride home because Charlie was taking my truck to get the back tire replaced—somehow, it had become flat.

"How's your guys' project going?" Alice said.

"Good," Edward and I said in unison.

"What's it about?"

"Biodegradable stuff," I replied.

"Oh." From the look on Alice's face, I doubted she understood what that meant. So I continued, "It means it can decompose, like, naturally and stuff." She still looked blank, but I decided to stop there.

"Oh, shit." Alice stopped walking. "I left my chemistry textbook in the school... I'll be right back." She spun around on her heel and took off in a sprint towards the school. Edward and I watched her until she disappeared into the school, and then we turned and began walking again.

We approached the car and Edward unlocked the doors. I was about to open the backdoor when my toe caught on a crack in the sidewalk, and I went flying forward, my school books flinging to the ground. Somehow, though, Edward caught me around my waist and pulled me back up before I could reach the pavement.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

I didn't answer. I was too aware of him. His arms, still around my waist; his eyes, staring worriedly at me; the way his jaw had such a strong line...

And, I don't know how it happened, but I was leaning towards him, and he was leaning towards me, and then I was winding my hands around his neck, pulling myself up so I could reach his lips...

And then we were kissing.

***

I don't know how long we stood there. But I do know that when we stopped, it was because Alice clearing her throat, and we both immediately broke apart, my cheeks flushing. As we all climbed into the Volvo without another word, I think I heard her mutter, under her breath, "Jesus. It took long enough."

***

When I woke up the next morning I wasn't as dreary as usual. I wasn't thinking, _Oh God, another day of Rosalie. _I wasn't thinking, _I'll have to sit through algebra _and_ biology today. _Or even, _Shit, I forgot to do my homework._ Even though I did. Forget to do my homework, I mean. Because, when I woke up that morning, all that I could think was, _Edward kissed me. We _kissed_. I'm going to see him today. After we kissed. Oh my God, I can't believe we kissed. _

"'Morning!" I said as I hopped down the stairs. Charlie looked up from over his newspaper.

"Um, 'mornin'," he replied awkwardly.

I spent the next twenty minutes cooking eggs and bacon, Charlie watching in amazement the whole time. Since I made the Bet, we had been having cereal and toast with butter.

"Thanks," he said as I placed a plate down in front of him. "So why are you so happy?"

"I'm not," I said, practically skipping over, giving Charlie a kiss on the cheek, and then grabbing my bag and prancing out the door. "I'll see you later!"

The door shut behind me.

***

Edward and I said hi briefly to each other that morning and he told me to meet him in the third floor storage closet after lunch. I wasn't sure what all the cool kids did in the third floor storage closet, but needless to say I was excited.

I went through lunch thinking, _This is so cool, _because Edward was sitting with me and Alice for once, and not Rosalie and the rest of them. Even Emmett had come over to sit with us.

"I need to... go to the washroom," Edward said in the middle of a debate between Emmett and Alice (what impact the Internet has on youth today), winked at me, and then got up.

What did that wink mean? Was I supposed to follow him?

"I need to..." I stood up, thinking of an excuse. "Read."

As I walked out of the cafeteria, I didn't notice that Rosalie was also exiting the other door.

***

Before going up to the third floor I went into the bathroom, where I brushed my hair a little and had a mint for my breath. What were we going to do up there, anyways? It was the third floor storage closet. How much _could_ be done in there?

I parted my hair on either of my shoulders, and then decided that looked too done and flipped it everywhere to make it appear messy. This didn't work either, so I brushed it out once more and left it like that. Popping a final mint in my mouth, I made my way up the stairs.

My footsteps were the only sound in the stairwell—everyone else was eating lunch.

I gave myself a silent pep talk once I got to the third floor. _Go in there looking confident, _I told myself. _Everyone says confidence is the sexiest thing in a woman. So just act like—_

I didn't give myself time to hesitate. I threw open the door....

And wanted to cry, right then and there.

Rosalie stopped kissing Edward for a second to turn her head to look at me. Edward pushed her away and started walking towards me. "Bella, no, it's not... please, just let me—"

I slammed the door in his face and took off down the hall.


	13. How To Break His Heart, Er, I Mean Arm

I drove home after that, and didn't answer the phone the rest of the evening. I left my computer off, and when Alice came to the door I told Charlie to tell her I had the swine and to turn her away. He didn't question why I was acting like that—he also didn't question why I had come home early from school—which I suspected was because teenage girl problems weren't his forte.

And for the remainder of the day I lay on my bed, locked in my room, staring up at the ceiling and telling myself not to cry, it would be all right, everything would be all right tomorrow, even though I knew it wasn't that easy, and nothing would be all right tomorrow.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but I do know I woke up at midnight to a weird noise. It was coming from outside; something was hitting my window.

At first I thought it was just rain or hail or something and turned on my side to try and fall back asleep, except after a while it sounded nothing like rain. It sounded like someone was outside, trying to get in.

I didn't want to wake up Charlie. I was a big girl, and I was totally able to handle myself. So as whatever it was continued to pelt my window, I slid my feet off the side of the bed and began to look for a weapon. Okay, what was there to use? I had school supplies, but safety scissors and pencils weren't going to do anything from a distance so high up. As I was searching, I realized that the stuff hitting my window was actually rocks. Someone was throwing rocks at my window.

Finally, I found my weapon of choice. My desk chair. It wasn't as useful as, like, nun chucks or whatever, but I could lift it, it was still heavy enough to take whoever was outside down, and it would fit out my window.

Before opening the window I peered outside. There was a very shadowy figure down there; it was impossible to tell who it was. Just as I slid the screen open another rock came up and hit me, square in the forehead. I said some colourful words before hearing, "Bella? Hello? Bella?"

The scoundrel knew my name!

"Go away!" I yelled-whispered down, slowly lifting up the desk chair. I needed to aim it properly, so maybe the thief would get a concussion or something and next time he'd think twice before trespassing by _my_ house.

"No, it's me!"

"I don't know who me is but—" I moved the desk chair so it was sitting on the ledge of the window pane. "You better get outta here!"

"No, it's—"

I pushed the chair out.

"—Edward. I can explain what happened—"

Oh no. Oh shit. Oh shitty shit shit.

I reached for the chair but it was too late; it was freefalling towards him, tumbling through the dark.

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" I screamed.

It hit him.

***

"What did you _do?_"

I shook my head. "I thought he was a robber... or someone. I didn't have anything else and I didn't want to wake you up—I can handle myself. So I just—"

"—threw your desk chair out the window?"

"You make it sound so bad."

"How can you make this sound good, Bella?"

"I was practicing self-defence."

But, oh God, it _was_ bad. _Very_ bad. Edward was lying on the ground, the desk chair had been pushed off of him to the side by Charlie, and his arm was sticking out at an awkward, non-natural angel. I'd already called the ambulance and they were on their way.

Edward, for some odd reason, was giggling, his chin resting on his chest. I'd chosen to ignore this because it was sort of disturbing. Who in the world would laugh in this situation?

"Are you okay, son?" Charlie asked, slapping Edward lightly on the cheek. He probably found the giggling disturbing too. "Respond, Edward."

"Hello-o-o-o," Edward said, and burst into another fit of laughter.

_What did I do?_

***

Edward had a bad concussion and a broken arm, but other than that no serious injuries. When you think about it, I was lucky. What if that chair had landed on his head or something and cracked his head open and he had serious brain damage? I mean, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen would probably sue, and Alice wouldn't want to be friends with me anymore. So, when you think about it like that, I really didn't do much at all.

Though when looking at Edward, whose arm was in a sling, it was kinda hard to think of it the other way. Especially when Emmett comes along, gives you a dirty look, and says, "Thanks, Bella. We're gonna lose now," and then walks away, even if you have no idea what he's talking about. But you have a pretty good idea it has something to do with hitting his best friend in the head with a desk chair the night before.

I didn't find out what Emmett had been saying until lunch when I sat down beside Jessica, and she said, "They're going to lose without him."

"Lose what?" I asked, and looked at Edward's empty seat at his table regretfully.

"The football championships."

"What?"

Jessica sighed and took a bite of her turkey sandwich. "You broke Edward's arm."

"No shit, Jess."

"So he can't play in the football championships."

_Ohh. _So _that's_ what this was about. Football. Everyone was giving me dirty looks because, because of Edward's broken arm, he wouldn't be able to play in the football championships. And, let's be honest here, the football team without Edward would probably be utterly lost.

"Oh," I said aloud, and leaned back in my seat.

"So how did it happen, anyways?" Jessica changed the subject. "I heard you tackled him in the middle of the night."

I blinked.

"But Sue from AP history said no way could you tackle him. She heard that your _dad_ tackled him because he caught you two kissing."

I blinked again.

"_Buuuuut_ Jim from algebra said that you crashed his car again."

"Jess. None of those are even _near_ the truth."

"What is it then?"

"I—uh—," I swallowed and mumbled something under my breath.

"What?"

"Ihithimwithmydeskchair," I said so quickly I knew she wouldn't be able to understand.

"Why are you talking so fast?"

"Okay." I looked around, to make sure nobody was watching. I whispered, "I hit him with my desk chair."

"I _still_ can't—"

"I HIT HIM WITH MY DESK CHAIR, OKAY?" I cried. " I THREW MY DESK CHAIR OUT OF MY WINDOW AND IT HIT HIM!"

Deciding it was best to ignore the stares burning into my back, I stomped out of the cafeteria.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been following & reviewing this story! Pleeeeease keep it up! =D**


	14. How To Play Hard To Get

I visited Edward after school with a pot of chicken noodle soup and a Get Well! card the class made for him. Alice hadn't been at school—she caught Jasper's sickness, and was the reason why I made so much chicken noodle soup.

"Hey," Alice said as I walked into her room. Except her nose was all clogged so it came out like, "Way."

"How are you doing?" I asked, handing her the soup. She blew her nose, which wasn't the most pleasant sight I'd ever seen or heard, and threw the Kleenex off to the side of her bed where a waste basket was, filled to the top and overflowing with tissues.

"Bad," she replied, and blew into another Kleenex. "Ob-ee-luss-lee, Bella."

I paused for a few seconds, translating ob-ee-luss-lee into obviously. "Oh. Well, sorry. Here's chicken soup. Is Edward—"

"In tis 'oom." Alice shot me a dirty look and blew vigorously into a tissue. "Tanks for da support, best fwend."

I couldn't help it. I giggled. She sounded like a three-year old.

"Get out before I twow a dirty Kleenex at you," she said threateningly, and I gladly got out of there and walked towards Edward's room, chicken soup in hand.

I knocked three times before entering. "Hello?"

Okay, so I was still pissed at Edward. I mean, he made out with Rosalie in the closet when he said to meet _me_ there. Was that a sign that he _wanted_ me to dump him? And if it was, what the hell was he doing throwing rocks at my window in the middle of the night?

"Come in," came his voice from inside.

I walked in and looked at Edward, trying my best not to be empathetic towards that jerk. His arm was bandaged up, and he had a Band-Aid on the side of his forehead, with a remote in his hand, staring at the TV from on his bed. "Hey," he said when he saw it was me.

"Hello, Edward Cullen." I crossed my arms over my chest, but not before carefully placing the chicken soup and Get Well card down on his desk.

"You really shouldn't be that mad." He lifted his elbow a little, emphasizing his broken arm. "You threw a desk chair at me."

"Yeah." I huffed hair out of my eyes. "Well you made out with Rosalie Hale, you asshole. You were all, _Meet me in the closet, blah blah blah. _And so I met you in the closet, and I'm greeted by Rosalie Hale depriving you of all oxygen."

"Bella, that's what I've been trying to tell you." He winced as he sat up, his back against the pillows. "That's what I was doing outside your window. You wouldn't answer my IM's, or my calls, or the door. So what was I supposed to do? I thought it was romantic. And then I saw this thing falling towards me, and at first I thought it was you, so I tried to catch you. But it wasn't you. It was a freaking desk chair. And I was thinking, What the hell, why did she just hurl a desk chair at me?"

I blinked. "Wait, what have you been trying to tell me?"

"Rosalie kissed _me_. I didn't kiss _her._"

"Oh, please." I shook my head. "That's just about as old as _It's not you, it's me_. And that's pretty old."

"I know. I know. But it's true, Bella. I swear. I'm sorry."

Contemplating whether to believe him or not, I tapped my foot. What if he wasn't lying, and he really was sorry, and I turned him down for no good reason? Or what if he _was_ lying, and I didn't turn him down, and then I caught him making out with Rosalie again? What would I do then? I had already experienced enough pain and heartbreak the first time, and I did _not_ want to go through that again.

"Let me make it up to you." He pointed at the top drawer in his desk. "Look in there. Take what's in there."

I opened the drawer and saw a bunch of pens and pencils scattered around. Wow, I thought. Normally when a guy wants to show affection for you, he would buy you a rose or a tulip or a teddy bear or something. But, naturally, when, for the first time, a guy wants to show affection for _me_, he tells me to have my choice of a number two pencil.

"Oh gosh," I muttered, not even trying to hide my sarcasm. I lifted a pencil out. "This means so much, Edward. Thank you."

"Bella, I don't want you to take my pencil. I need those for our math test tomorrow, anyways, so put it back. It must be in the other drawer."

Oh.

I opened up the drawer, and gasped audibly, lifting out a beautiful white porcelain mask, with sequins going around the eyes. "Is this for me?" I was almost afraid to ask this question, because with the luck I was having today he'd probably ask me to deliver it to Rosalie at school the next day.

"Of course it is. Isabella Swan, will you go to the Masquerade Ball with me?"

I gasped again and rushed forward to give him a hug, accidentally knocking the chicken soup off the desk in the process. I considered going back to clean it up but I was too excited to care that much at the moment, so I nearly tackled Edward and said, "Yes! Yes I will!"

Whatever. I'm weak-willed.

There was a pause, and then Edward said in a raspy voice, "Um, Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't take offence to this, but can you get off of me, because you're kind of hurting my arm."


	15. How To Be His Queen

**A/N: So, sadly, there are probably five, max, chapters left in this story. Whether I write a sequel or not (I have an idea, already... sort of) depends on the number of reviews I get these last few chapters. =)**

**Sooo. **

**Yeah. **

**ENJOY!!!!**

Oh God. Oh God. Oh _God. _Today was the day. Today was the day my dreams came true. Today was the day that I won the bet over Rosalie Bitch Hale and today was the day that she found out she would have to run around the school in a chicken suit. Today was the day I, for once, took notice about what I looked like, from the knee-length midnight blue dress Alice picked out, from the sparkly white eye shadow Jessica picked out, to the way my hair was going to be curly at the ends and half-up to create a dramatic look, according to Alice. And finally, today was the day I placed Edward's sparkly white mask on my eyes.

Today was the day. Today, more importantly, was _my_ day.

When Edward picked me up, Charlie insisted on taking a few pictures of us. Edward, I must say, was looking pretty damn hot in his tuxedo, and as soon as I got home the picture Charlie took was going up as my profile picture on Facebook.

"Sorry," I whispered to Edward, about the picture, as we walked outside to the limo he had rented. Alice and Jasper and Jessica and her date were all waiting in there.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, opening the door for me. "You look beautiful, by the way." My heart fluttered a little in my chest like in those cheesy old romance novels. He called me beautiful. _Me. _Bella Swan. Not some cake face, like Rosalie Hale. Just me. An ordinary, clumsy, nothing-special-about-her girl.

God, I needed to get over myself.

"BELLA!" Mike, Jessica's date, exclaimed as I slid into the limo. I had to pull my dress down because it kept riding up. "HEY, GIRL!"

"Um," I said awkwardly, tugging my dress harder, trying to get it past my knees. _Dammit, Alice, you suck. _"Hey."

Alice was wearing a red dress that poofed out drastically before her knees, but fit her upper body like a glove. Unlike Jessica, she hadn't overdone the eyeliner and mascara, and was only wearing thin coats of each. Jessica, on the other hand, was wearing a dress that only covered what it needed to, barely, had a plunging neckline, and was such a hot shade of pink I had to avoid looking in her direction the entire ride. Looking at that dress was like looking directly at the sun.

When we stopped the driver opened the door for us, and Edward slipped a tip into his hand. I kind of tripped on my three-inch high heels when getting out of the limo, but Edward caught me before I could hit the pavement, laughing. I guess he found it funny that I had almost broken my face.

At the entrance to the school, outside the gym, there was a photography booth set up, with a white background behind it. Alice, being Alice, stopped us all and said, "Everyone, don't try to protest, yes, Bella, I mean you, because it won't work. We're getting our pictures taken."

I glared, but, as she said, it didn't work. Alice turned around and said something to the photographer, before he began taking photos. First, Alice and Jasper went, in various poses—one included Alice on Jasper's back. Next Jessica and Mike went. The most creative pose the photographer set them up with was the two of them, legs-crossed, facing each other. And they kind of looked funny, because it looked like they were doing yoga and Jessica's dress wouldn't cover what it needed to when she sat like that, causing the photographer dude to keep having to yell at Mike that the camera was, "Not down there."

So I was standing there, laughing, when the photographer turned to me, surprising me, saying, "SHHH!"

I was so surprised, in fact, my heel caught in one of the many wires scattered over the ground, and I flew forward into the photographer, who then flew into a big umbrella thingie over the white background, which then caused the white background to roll up and snap and fall on the ground with a big _thud. _

I managed to squeeze out a nervous chuckle as the music in the gym stopped, and all heads pointed in my direction. "At least we don't have to get our pictures taken, hey Edward?"

He was the only one to laugh.

***

After sorting out technicalities with the photographer we all entered the gymnasium. Part of me was curious about whom Rosalie had come with, and the other part of me really didn't give a crap, because tonight was _my_ night. Not Rosalie Hale's night. _Mine. _

And after everything I went through just to get to this one night, I think I deserved it.

The gym was themed as _Night in the Sky_, and everything was dark besides a few lights reflecting on the walls in little circles. There was a big full moon painted on the far wall where the punch and food was, and a song called

"I'll get us punch," Edward said, just like all the guys do in all those movies and TV shows. "Can you find us a table without tripping over your heels?"

"You're a jokester tonight, aren't you?" I limped away—these things actually really were hurting my feet—before he could reply, off to find us a table or any sort of chair so I could sit.

I walked right into Rosalie.

Her eyes travelled up from my heels to the top of my curly hair. I did the same, only because I didn't want to seem like a total loser. She had _really_ caked on the makeup, more so than Jessica, and was wearing an aqua blue halter dress that may as well have been a second skin.

I spoke first, because I suddenly had the power to. "Who are you hear with?"

"Emmett," she told me, rolling her shoulders back, making herself look taller.

I did the same, something changing inside of me. "Tell him I said hi."

And I walked away with more confidence I had ever had.

***

As soon as I sat down Edward showed up with the punch. He gave me the cup with a whole strawberry in it, and, ignoring the fact that I wasn't exactly really fond of strawberries, gulped it down in two slugs. Tonight was my night. Nobody, not even strawberry punch, was going to take that from me.

Alice rushed over, a few inches shorter than she had been a few minutes ago. Sure enough, when I glanced down at her feet, they were bare, and when I looked behind her, Jasper was running to catch up, the high heels dangling from his hands.

"Can we sit with you guys?" she asked. "We looked all over the place—well, Jasper did—and could not find a single table."

"Sure." Edward scooched over for Jasper, who was out of breath, to sit down, and I moved over for Alice. Soon the four of us were immersed in a debate about whose version of Always Be My Baby was better—David Cook or Mariah Carey. Alice and Edward said Mariah, me and Jasper said David.

When it was decided that Jasper and I had won, Edward stood up without a word and walked towards the stage. And when he was his way back just a few seconds later, the circle-shaped lights dancing all over his tuxedo, David Cook's version was playing. He smiled. "Are you coordinated enough to dance, Bella?"

***

It was hard to imagine things ever being different. It was hard to imagine not standing here, in Edward's arms, peaceful, while we swayed to the music. It was hard to imagine that a week ago, if someone had told me where I would be right now, I would have laughed, considered it impossible.

But here I was.

And it was corny and cheesy for me to think those things. Normally it would probably want to make me puke up my breakfast. But it was right. And it was perfect. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I like your dress," he told me quietly, as the song played on.

"Thanks." I looked down because my cheeks were heating up out of control. Before heading to the dance floor, I had kicked off the damn high heels, and when we started dancing, and it was clear that I wasn't actually coordinated enough, Edward had offered me to stand on his feet. Now, I wiggled my toes, smiling.

As soon as the song ended Rosalie's voice was reverberating off the walls of the gymnasium. Everybody turned to look. "Hello, students of Forks High. I'm up here as the former reigning queen to announce _your_ Masquerade Ball King and Queen."

Applause echoed through the gym. I had never been to the former MB's, so I wasn't sure what the big deal was.

"Your King is..." Rosalie tore open an envelope in her hands. "No surprise, Edward Cullen!"

More applause, and Edward whispered, "I'll be right back," before heading up to the stage. A bunch of guys clapped his back on his way up there, and the moment he got on the stage, Rosalie gave him a hug and placed a dollar-store crown on his head. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked around me. All couples. _Hurry up, Edward. _

"And your Queen is..." She looked down at the same piece of paper. "No surprise here either, me, Rosalie Hale." She giggled and gave another crown to Edward, who was confused for a second, but then placed it on top of her head.

The music started up again, but Rosalie glared at the DJ, who then shut it off. "We're not done," she said into the microphone. "I don't think this is fair, considering Edward _did_ come here with someone else. Bella Swan, won't you please join us up here?"

I wanted to yell back, "It's okay, I'm fine down here," but didn't want to leave a bad impression on the school population, so, arms still across my chest, began to walk across the dance floor. People parted out of my way like the Red Sea, and I know I hadn't been to any other MBs, but I was pretty sure the Queen never actually invited the King's date up to join them.

Rosalie smiled at me a little, but it wasn't a nice smile. I tried to ignore it as I stepped onto the stage in front of the school population, feeling a little nauseous.

"Bella hasn't won the Queen award tonight," Rosalie said, sounding triumphant, like she beat me at something. "_But_... she _has_ won something else."


	16. How To Lose A Guy's Heart

I froze. I couldn't breathe. No.

Edward blinked and looked at me, for an explanation. I didn't have one.

"Bella won Edward."

My heart stopped in my chest. Maybe Rosalie wouldn't say anymore. Maybe she would take pity on me just this one time. Please, please—

"You see, everyone." Rosalie turned to face the audience and began pacing the length of the stage. "Bella and I made a bet."

"What's she talking about?" Edward asked me. I couldn't reply. I had forgotten how to speak.

"We made a bet two weeks ago that I would be able to get Edward Cullen to take me to the Masquerade Ball."

Edward was staring at me, but I didn't have the guts to look at him. I didn't have the guts to do anything but just stand there.

"If I won," Rosalie went on, with the school's attention. She had them mesmerized. "Then Bella would have to run around the school in a chicken suit. If she won, and Edward Cullen chose _her_, then _I _would run around the school in a chicken suit."

"Rosalie," I managed to whisper, the lowest my voice could go. "Stop."

She spun to face me. "Stop _what?_ All I'm trying to do is save Edward from getting his heart broken. We don't want that. Do we, Bella? I don't. But do you?"

"That's not the story—" I started, but was interrupted by Edward.

"This is for a _bet?_"

Tears were pricking from behind my eyes, but I pushed them back. "No, Edward. I made the bet, yes, but this isn't—"

"I liked you, Bella," he said. I flinched at the word _liked. _

"I like you, Edward," I said. "I do. Edward, I really _really_ do. Rosalie is twisting everything around. The bet is what gave me the nerve to talk to you, and to—"

He shook his head, and my tears were coming closer to spilling now. "What was going to happen after this, Bella? What happens after you win the _bet?_"

"Edward—" Alice was shoving through the crowd that had gathered in front of the stage, towards us. "Stop. Let's go some place else—"

"_Don't_ tell me what to do," he snapped before turning back to me. It was too late. I was crying. The tears were coming out, rolling over my cheeks, surely ruining my makeup and I furiously wiped them away with the back of my hand.

"This isn't _for_ the bet," I said. "This is for me. For _us. _Just, please, listen—"

"Listen to what? The lies? Do you know how _used_ I feel?" Edward was almost yelling at me now, and, to tell you the truth, I didn't blame him. I had made a horrible, horrible bet. This was all my fault. "Bella, I thought I could trust you. I thought—"

"But you _can!_" I wanted to grab his shoulders and shake him enough for him to realize Rosalie was the evil one, not me. I wanted to make him understand. I wanted him to hold me again, like he had when we were dancing. I wanted to stay dancing with him, in that moment forever and ever—in that perfect, flawless moment.

"How can I believe you?" he questioned, and it sounded like the whole gymnasium was holding their breath, expecting an answer, expecting an answer that would make up for everything and make it okay.

I didn't have that answer.

"Believe me," I said, reaching out to touch his arm lightly, as if by doing this I could reassure him. I swiped away more tears with the hand that wasn't touching him. "Just believe me."

For a few seconds he stared at my hand. And for those few seconds I thought that I _had_ reassured him, and everything was going to be okay, and tomorrow this would be history; history that didn't matter; history that didn't affect us anymore.

Those thoughts did nothing but raise my hopes unfairly, because he jerked away and said, "I did. And look where we are now."

And then, I could only see him faintly, my eyes were blurring from my tears, but he was walking off the stage and through the still crowd, and out the door, which swung shut with a _bang_ behind him.

I stood up there, paralyzed, terrified of falling apart completely, my vision blurry, until Alice walked up and took my arm gently, pulling me off the stage, away from Rosalie Bitch Hale, and everything else.


	17. How To Be Sociable

It feels like it's been weeks. It feels like it's been weeks since Edward walked out of that gym door, out of my life, when in reality, it's only been a day. I feel empty inside. I feel hollow. Like someone ripped my heart out of my chest and put it on display, just out of my reach. I feel like curling up in a ball and crying, except nothing comes out, and this just feels worse. All day I've been listening to Taylor Swift songs, hoping that when one of them comes on, inspiration will hit me, and I'll feel better and I'll be over Edward, and I won't have that hollow space inside of me anymore.

_Breathe. _

_ Fearless. _

_ You're Not Sorry._

None of these songs work. They all make the gap in me wider and more vulnerable, and when Alice comes over all we do is sit on my bed and don't say a word, because I know one word will send me over the edge, and one word will pry that hollow space larger and larger until I am consumed in it and alone.

***

When Alice left and her car squealed down the road, I picked up my phone. Then I put it down. Then I picked it up again, my fingers hovering over the numbers.

I didn't let myself hesitate. I dialed his number and put the phone to my ear. It rang and rang, and then his automated voicemail came on.

_Hi, this is Edward—I'll call you back. _

_ Beep. _

I opened my mouth to explain it, but nothing came out. I didn't _have_ an explanation. What Rosalie had said had been true—I had made a bet—a horrible bet—except, during that bet, I developed real feelings for Edward. Deep, real feelings.

So I stood there, thinking of something to say, until the mechanical voice told me my message had been too long, and if I would like to keep it, record it again, or delete it. I pressed three for delete.

***

**Jess: **You're just making it worse on yourself, Bells.

**Bella: **I'm trying to make it easier.

**Jess: **By doing that you're making it worse. You just need to forget about it.

I wondered for a moment how I could possibly forget about it. Then I decided that I couldn't.

**Bella: **You're right. I should get to sleep. School tomorrow.

**Jess: **You're coming?

**Bella: **... Why wouldn't I?

**Jess: **I just thought you might need time to recover.

**Bella: **You just told me to forget about him.

**Jess: **Duh, in recovery.

**Bella: **... All right. I might see you tomorrow I might not. 'Night.

**Jess: **But it's only six...?

**Bella: **Don't let the bed bugs bite.

**~Bella is now offline~**

**A/N: Sorry I haven't been able to update—my parents are on vacation & my laptop/computer time to write has gone doooooooownnnnnnnnn.**


	18. Pleeease read

**I haven't updated. I know. Because I guess after a month of not updating, I feel kind of embarrassed for not updating for so long, and I'm afraid of what everyone will think and say once I do. But I'm posting this to let you guys know, I'm on page five of the next chapter. It'll be the second last chapter of this story, so I'm trying to make it as good as possible.**

**The story's ending. : (**

**BUT**

**I am considering writing a sequel, depending on the reaction of the last two chapters. If I do, it'll come pretty soon after this one ends.**

**Soo... whoever is still reading this story... the next chapter will come in the next week, most likely over the weekend, and same goes for maybe even the last one, if I have the time. But both will be up before Valentine's Day, at the LATEST.**

**Thanks to everyone who is still going to read the last chapters, after that long delay. I appreciate it, you guys : ) A LOT.**


	19. How To Be Cliche

**A/N: So sad. Second last chapter! I tried to make it as good as possible for you guys. ENJOY! **

**& Remember me writing the sequel depends on the reaction to these chapters(: Sooo review? Pretty pretty please? **

As soon as I walked in the front doors of the school people were whispering. They cleared the way when I walked by, and they would immediately stop talking, which gave me more evidence that they were in fact talking about me and Edward and the Incident.

I didn't look up in my classes. I was too afraid someone would be looking back. I didn't look up when I walked from class to class. I was too afraid I would hear something that would make me break down and cry. I didn't talk until lunch, because the hole inside of me still wasn't healed.

Nobody really said anything at our table when Rosalie sat down beside Edward, cast a sideways glance at me before flicking her hair and beginning to talk. Nobody said anything the block after that when Edward asked to change partners for the science project, either. And nobody said anything when Rosalie 'accidentally' knocked my lunch tray out of my hands and I had to bend over to pick it all up.

"I'll talk to him," Alice said as she helped soak up the chocolate milk I spilt with napkins.

"Don't," I replied. "He'll think I put you up to it."

"Would you rather nothing be done?"

I paused to think about that even though I already knew the answer. "Yes."

***

After school when I opened up my locker, a large fluffy thing fell out of it. I jumped back and screamed until I realized it was just the chicken suit. I wasn't even concerned that someone had to have my combination to get this thing in my locker; I didn't even care that I would have to put it on. Maybe it would get people talking about something else, and for that I could only be grateful.

***

Alice called me that night. Jessica called me that night. I didn't pick up. Taylor Swift was the only voice I heard until nine, when Charlie came in and awkwardly asked me if I was okay. I just nodded, and that was all it took for him to leave. As my door shut behind him, I couldn't help but break down once more, into my pillow, hiccupping and thinking of how good it felt when Edward had danced with me.

***

The next day, at school, I decided I was going to be strong. _You have to be strong, _I told myself. _You have to be strong. That's who you are. You are the backbone. _

Alice stayed by my side the entire day, walked me to all my classes, and we barely exchanged any words at all. Just the common _How was algebra? _And _Are you going to eat that apple, or can I?_

And when I opened my locker at the end of the day, something else fluttered out. But this thing was a pale pink, and smaller.

_Bella,_

_The chicken suit will be put on next week, on Monday. You'll run around it WITHOUT the head at lunch, after everyone is seated. No debating now. What's done is done._

_Rosalie._

Technically, I guess I had won the bet. I went to the MB with Edward Cullen. But it probably didn't count, because he ditched me during it. And besides, I was too bothered to fight back this time. This time, I'd just go with the flow, and just hope for the best. If that was even possible, at this point.

I walked to my truck with the note in my hands. My umbrella was in the backseat, which wasn't very smart of me, because now it was raining and my hair and clothes and the note were all soaked. Oh well. I didn't have anyone to impress anymore.

I threw the note in a puddle as I walked through the rain. I didn't need the evidence. The evidence of the bet, the evidence that would make me break down evidently again if I kept it. I was stronger than this. I didn't need it. I didn't need Edward, either, now that we're on the subject. Really, maybe he was just a piece in my life I needed to realize that—well, to realize something I hadn't entirely realized yet. But it would hit me, probably, eventually, when I least expected it.

As I approached my truck, I could see a person standing by it with a hood concealing their face. Alice and Jessica really needed to let up on this whole thing. I was over it, I think, so them just showing up at my truck in the rain was just going to make everything worse and—

That wasn't Alice's coat. That wasn't Jessica's coat. That was Edward's coat.

I stopped in my tracks, just for a moment, to make sure I was walking towards the right truck. It was the same crappy red truck, yes, the only crappy red truck left in the lot. And even though this truck had Edward Cullen standing beside it, it had to be mine.

The truck, I mean, not the guy. Obviously.

I continued to walk, even though I really didn't want to listen to what he was about to tell me. Alice told something to him, I bet, and now he was here to set me straight, and to tell me that if I wanted to say something to him I should've said it to his face, and not through his sister. How embarrassing.

I got to Edward. His hair was soaking wet underneath the hood of his coat, and his hands in his pockets. He looked unfazed by my arrival, and just kept staring into the foggy parking lot.

Not sure of what to say, I said, "You're standing in front of my door. Could you move, please? I do not currently have my umbrella."

It happened so fast, I barely had time to do much but stand there. Edward moved towards me, in one step, and kissed me. On the lips. In the rain. Like this was a normal thing to do. Not that I minded, because of course it felt good when Edward kissed me. It was even better than our first kiss, because this one was kind of cheesy, like in a movie or book or something, in the rain and all. And it was kind of weird, because after I decided I was over him, I still felt those nice tingles.

When he pulled away, I couldn't help but think of what a jackass he was. Oh yeah, it's fine, embarrass me and ditch me and ignore me and then it's okay for you to show up at my truck and kiss me when I'm almost over you, and only after listening to freaking Taylor Swift. Couldn't you do this earlier?

"Answer me _honestly_, Bella," he said, and I was still sort of stunned by the kiss to say anything back. "Did you feel something?"

I managed one syllable, "Yes."

"That's what you told me before. Then I realize it's for a bet. The sad thing is, I felt something too."

"Edward... I feel something. The bet, I was just angry at Rosalie, I liked you before. But come on. I was your sister's best friend, Edward. What chance do I have?"

He stared at me, like he knew what I was telling him was true, but he didn't _want_ to believe me. Whatever. He didn't want to believe me, I didn't want to stand here and kiss in the rain like some cheesy romance novel. He either wanted me or he didn't. This wasn't a game I was going to play anymore.

At that point, I was angry and upset and overwhelmed with so many emotions I didn't know what to but laugh. "I don't care. You don't have to decide what you're going to do. I've decided for you. I'm going home."

I didn't break down. I got into the truck, calmly and carefully, not caring about how wet my jeans were, now, and put the key in the ignition and drove away. Edward was left in the rain, alone.

***

We could all live without guys. I mean, how important are they, really? Yeah, they help us reproduce blah blah blah, but _they_ themselves don't. It's their sperm. We don't need guys, specifically.

Actually, I think our world would be so much healthier without them. Especially the jackass ones. Like, the ones that lead you on and then are suddenly like, "Never mind, I changed my mind, I like that slut sitting at the table over there. Bye." Who do they think they are? We don't need you.

I ranted this to Alice that night over the phone. I paced my room, punching my pillows and kicking the random pieces of paper of homework lying on the ground. She didn't say much of anything, which was kind of smart of her, because it was my time of the month and I'm sure that was helping the rant go on a little. That and all the soda I was washing down.

"Don't get me wrong," I went on, taking another swig of Coke. "Some are okay. The nice ones. Like, mainly the ones that aren't straight, you know? We could keep those kind of men. But the other ones will have to go."

"Where will they go?"

"To space, or something. Mars. I don't want to be completely unethical and kill them off. I'm not _that_ mean. I just want them gone. Like, off the planet gone. So I don't have to put up with them. Don't you?"

"Can we keep Jasper?"

"Well, I guess. He's nice, I guess. But we'll keep him, for you." I snapped my fingers. "Wait. We have to send Rosalie with them. I don't think they'll mind, will they?"

"I don't think so."

"Good! Now, we need to start a petition...."

***

I woke up the next morning, barely remembering the conversation with Alice the night before. Something about sperm. Can't be good.

I threw on a baggy sweatshirt and a pair of jeans from the hamper, because I was too lazy to do laundry the past week. I only had time to apply a tiny bit of mascara before leaving for school.

While walking to my truck, I found myself laughing. On Monday I would be running around in a chicken suit, in front of the entire student body. Well, that's high school. The best four years of your life.

Jessica texted me the night before, telling me she was sick and wouldn't make it to school. I hadn't replied because the text had come in the middle of whatever that sperm conversation was, and I was too busy to care about texting. Just another person I didn't have to worry about bothering me at school.

Alice met me at my locker with a slightly worried look on her face. She didn't waste any time. "Bella, what happened last night with Edward?"

"I got over him," I told her, because maybe the more I convinced other people of this, I might start really believing it too. "It was one of those little miracles."

"He came home last night, after we were on the phone. He wouldn't talk to anyone and he slammed the door to his room which he never does, and Bella, I'm worried. I thought you were the one who was depressed about the situation, but now Edward's sulking around everywhere."

I blinked. Edward was sulking around? That didn't make sense. Our confrontation yesterday—I mean—he looked like—like—he was over it all, and just wanted to confirm what he thought. Which was that I was a two-faced bitch that only went out with him to win a bet against Rosalie Hale. If he was sulking around, did that mean I confirmed I was a bitch, driving away like that? Or was it something else?

Not wanting to get my hopes up, I considered the first one much more likely than the latter.

"I dunno," I replied nonchalantly, opening up my bag and looking for something to eat. I shovelled some almonds in my mouth. "That's not my problem. I'm over your brother, Alice."

She snorted. "Why do I find that so hard to believe?"

I shrugged.

"You don't get over someone within days, Bella. You're not over him."

Slamming my locker shut, I said, "Why does it _matter? _Can't we just _drop the subject? _I don't want to talk about this, what's done is done, so I'm off to English class."

I felt bad walking away from Alice like I was, but I had to do it to prove my point. I was over Edward. I was over Edward. I was over Edward. That was that.

As I approached the corner, I could hear Alice saying behind me, "Fine. You're over him. But he's not over you."

I pretended not to hear her and turned the corner, walked into class, and sat down.

Why do I find that so hard to believe?

***

Rosalie called me that night.

I'd never given Rosalie my number. Ever. So I wasn't sure how she managed to get a hold of it. But I mean, then again, she _is_ Rosalie Bitch Hale.

"I am calling to remind you about the bet," she said. And then she hung up.

I knew she was only doing it to get on my nerves. To mock me about the bet. That I had lost it, and Edward, and now I would have to wear that chicken suit around the school. But I didn't really care. Rosalie could call me every five minutes, if she wanted to, because right now prancing around dressed like a duck was the least of my problems.

After the short call with Rosalie Alice called me. I told her about Rosalie calling me. She went on for a bit about Rosalie being a complete bitch, which, of course, was pretty useless since we both already knew she was one. And then Alice said, "Hold on. I think someone wants to talk to you."

Faintly in the background, behind the static and movement now buzzing in my ear I could hear someone say, "Alice, get out of my room. I have nothing to say." Then more static and: "Fine, fine, but get out of my room." I realized what was happening a second too late, because Edward was on the phone the next, getting right to the point. "I don't even know what I did. Shouldn't _I _be mad at _you?_"

This was said so suddenly at first I thought he was talking to Alice or something. "I don't want to play around," I told him finally. "Okay? I'm done. Goodbye. Have a nice evening. Try not to kiss me in the rain anymore, please."

He started to protest, but before he could, I hung up.

***

Saturday came around. Alice and I hung out at the coffee shop across the street from our school, and we didn't even bring up the fact I had hung up on Edward. I sipped my hot chocolate and settled into the floral-patterned couch while soft, calming music played overhead.

Alice stood up from her armchair and looked around. "Do you think they do karaoke here?"

"Uh," I said. There was no stage, nor a microphone, so I was going to have to go with, "No. Who cares?"

"Because I feel like singing karaoke."

"Oh." I took another sip. "Well, I don't. Can we go back to my place now? I'm tired."

Alice sighed. "Fine. Be a party pooper. We'll go back and watch _Never Been Kissed_ for the eightieth time, and maybe some other Drew Barrymore movie. Happy?"

"Yes."

***

The rest of the weekend went by very quickly. After Alice left my house Sunday morning I studied a little for a test and watched a season marathon of _Friends. _Charlie was out at work, so after the season ended I turned music up as loud as the speakers would go and danced around singing into the broom to whatever was on the radio.

I was just jumping off the couch after finishing the song Bad Romance when the song came on. The song Edward and I danced to. The one I stood on his feet to while he held me and we just swayed. I found myself shutting my eyes and remembering the way it felt, one of the best feelings in the world, the way my head was so comfortably resting on his shoulder.

They just _had_ to play this song, didn't they?

I had no more tears to cry. My heart was already broken, and so it was almost impossible for it to be broken again. I just felt it more now, like someone was waving their hand between the two pieces and laughing at me. I turned the radio off with a hard pound of my fist, completely unnecessary, and didn't bother putting the broom back in the closet; just let it drop to the hardwood floor with a thud.

And there I was. Thinking I was over him.

***

Monday morning also went by quickly. Classes that were simply a waste of my time. Did anyone really _care_ what the value of x was? Did anyone really _care_ about the science project? Or about FOIL? Or biodegradable banana peels?

If you didn't get it, the answer to all of the above is no.

The chicken suit was stuffed in a bag on the top shelf of my locker. A few of the yellow feathers fluttered out as I opened the door and took it down, careful not to reveal the contents to whoever happened to be walking by. I shut my locker and just as I was doing so, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Today's the day, huh?"

I didn't bother turning. He wasn't worth the time. "For?"

"Embarrassment."

Locking my locker, I ignored him. Insulting me was not going to help anything. I began to walk away.

"Sorry. I probably shouldn't have said that. It's probably bad enough already."

I nodded. "Yes. Sort of."

"It's happening now?"

I nodded again.

"Now _now?_"

Another nod.

"Oh."

Now he was walking beside me, down the hallway and towards the girls' locker room, where I would then change and run around and make an ass out of myself. Why was he still following me? Didn't he get the message? I didn't want to speak to him. It was over.

"Should I feel bad? This is my fault, a little."

"No," I said. No, you shouldn't feel bad for causing me to run around a chicken suit, but you should feel bad for playing with my feelings like that. God. Jackass.

He didn't say anything until we approached the locker room, where he blocked the door before I could go inside. "Look, Bella, I'm sorry. Not for this but for everything else. I should've listened to what you said that night at the dance before rushing out like that and making everything a bigger mess. It might be awkward now, but do you forgive me?"

I wanted to. But if I did, what would happen then? It was too scary for me to think about, and so I did the only thing I could by shaking my head. "I'm sorry. I can't."

"Fine." Edward started to turn away, but didn't move. Not sure of what to do, I stood there outside of the ugly green-coloured locker room door waiting for some other reaction.

I got the reaction a few seconds later when he grabbed the chicken suit from my hands, dropped it on the ground, and took out the feather-covered yellow pants. He tugged them on over his designer jeans.

"What are you doing?" I asked. Whatever he was doing didn't look good.

"I'm making up for everything."

Grabbing the bag away from him before he could do anything else, I said, "This is stupid. Give me the pants back."

"No." Edward tugged the suspenders over his shoulders, and a couple freshman passed by, giving him weird looks. "Give me the top." He tugged it from my hands and I lunged for it, but he had already put it over his head. The sleeves fell down past his hands.

"Edward— " I started.

"Where were you supposed to wear this, again?" he cut me off, brushing some feathers away from his mouth.

"I dunno, the cafeteria, but that doesn't matter because you're going to give me back that costume right now and—"

Edward was already walking towards the cafeteria.

***

I tried to keep up with him, but it was really no use. His legs were much longer than mine and so he was able to stay a good few feet ahead of me. As I followed him, telling him to stop and take the chicken costume off, we gathered a lot of stares. A few feathers even flew in one kid's face, but neither of us apologized.

"Edward," I said. "Please. You don't have to do this."

"I think I do."

And then he threw open the doors of the cafeteria.

***

I really wish I had words to describe how I felt when the cafeteria doors opened and Edward went in, feathers and all, and casually began walking around between the tables, while Rosalie looked on at him in astonishment. I wish I could describe how good I felt when she stood up, her chair squealing against the tiles, and stomped off out of the cafeteria.

But there really are no words to describe how good that felt.

Because, standing there, in the entrance to the cafeteria, I could see Edward was really, really sorry, and that all was forgiven. Why would he be in that costume if something was still wrong? If he was truly still angry at what happened, it'd all be over and done with, and that kiss wouldn't have happened, and this wouldn't have happened, and right now I'd be blushing red with embarrassment as Rosalie laughed on with her friends that had thrown my bag into the trash can.

Actually, I guess I found it kind of sweet, what Edward was doing. I mean, yeah, he played with my feelings. He was doing that right now. But did I have the strength to let him go since he ripped that feathery thing out of my hands? Did I have the strength to move on when I remembered how good it felt when he had held me, and we had swayed in tune to the music?

I didn't think I did.

Maybe one day I would. Maybe one day I'd look past the good things and see the bad, the way our relationship after the dance was one emotional rollercoaster. The way I was distant for days, and he was the one who made me that way.

But right then, all I could see was me wiggling my toes in amusement while standing on Edward's shoes. All I could see was him kissing me in the rain, as cliché as _that_ was; how he called me a hoot; how he was running around, making a fool of himself right now, for me. No, not for Rosalie. For _me. _

And for now, _now_, in this moment now, that was all I needed.


	20. How To Keep A Guy's Heart

**A/N: Sorry if the last chapter messed up the whole story for you, as I can see by the reviews that's all it really did for some of you. I hope this one can make up for that, and if you **_**really **_**didn't like the last one, I also hope you can look past that. **

**So, since this is the last chapter, ever, of this story, pleeeease review. Tell me what your favourite part was. Tell me what your least favourite part was. Tell me EVERYTHING and if you enjoyed this fanfiction and—well—you know the drill. Just review!**

**This is the first fanfiction I have ever finished.**

**Soo...**

**I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did (:**

**& Look out for a sequel. The first chapter, which won't be very long if I'm being honest, will come around Valentine's Day, or some time after that. :)**

The room was dimmed with one very bright spotlight, directly pointed on the stage at the back of the room. Off to our left was a bar that had a banner that said _Smoothies_ at the top, and there was a wide arrangement of couches, booths, armchairs and tables to sit at. It was pretty crowded, too, stacked with everyone from families to couples to seniors.

Alice led us all to a blue velvet couch at the back of the room. Edward, Jasper and I sat down as a little girl around the age of ten walked up onto the stage, and began singing along to an old song by Hilary Duff.

"I'm not singing anything," I said, wanting to get my point across immediately.

Alice snorted. "Oh, you will. Trust me."

I didn't want to burst her bubble so I didn't point out how wrong she was.

Edward stood up. "Anyone want a smoothie?"

"I do," I said, standing up too, and almost tripping over the ridiculous wedges Alice was making me wear tonight. "I'll come with you."

The two of us walked over to the bar, me limping a little in the wedges. As I ordered a strawberry smoothie and Edward ordered a lemon-blueberry (gross), the little girl who was singing Hilary Duff ended the song, and a guy with a goatee and beret walked onto the stage to a round of applause, adjusting the microphone so it fit his height.

"Hello, Forks!" he said, and people screamed. I exchanged a glance with Edward. Why were we here again? "I'm glad to see we have a big crowd tonight, complete with kids, so let's try and keep it rated G, all right? Next up is a big guy with a big voice, Greg Hawkley!"

A man in his forties or something walked onto the stage as Frank Sinatra's song Coffee Song began to play. He sang, and he had an okay voice, I guess, for a balding guy in his forties.

"Strawberry and blueberry-lemon smoothies up!" Two plastic cups slid towards Edward and me, and we grabbed straws and walked back to Alice and Jasper, who were now standing up and singing along to the Coffee Song. Edward and I had been pretty quiet. Probably because we knew what was going to happen next. Alice would make us sing.

Both of us sat down, despite Alice's gestures to get us up to sing and dance with them. I was all for having a good time, really, just not for making a fool out of myself in public.

"Thank you Greg!" Goatee Guy said when the song finished. Greg was greeted off the stage by two little girls running towards him and giving him a hug. I smiled. "That was an excellent Frank Sinatra!" More applause, and Greg moved farther away from the stage.

As Goatee Guy consulted some of his note cards, I leaned back in my seat and tried to make myself less conspicuous. All I wanted to do was get out of here, go some place with Edward. But at least the strawberry smoothie was good. I took a few more sips.

"Here are two kids who know how to have a good time!" Goatee Guy read off his notes. Alice giggled and squeezed Jasper's arm, so it must've been them going up next. I wondered what they would be singing. Maybe another Frank Sinatra song. Or something from a musical, most likely, knowing Alice.

"They'll be singing Footloose, by Kenny Loggins! Please give Edward and Bella a round of applause!"

See? What did I say? Something from a musical, just like I thought.

Then I froze.

Wait a minute.

What did he say?

"Bella and Edward!" he called again, and Alice gave me a shove towards the stage. Edward was already walking up there, so I followed him, almost robotically. My cheeks were already burning knowing people were staring at me. Whoever signed me up for this was going to die.

Well, okay, maybe if Edward did it I would forgive him. But not Alice.

And, I mean, _Footloose? _Yeah, whatever, I might have sung it once or twice along to the movie. But I never actually, you know, sang it in front of people. People I didn't know.

We got to the stage, the two of us, Edward looking just as nervous as I was. I couldn't even see the people sitting comfortably in their chairs and couches—the light was shining into my eyes a little too brightly, and I stumbled backwards a bit. As Goatee Guy brought another microphone for Edward onto the stage, he whispered at me to test my own. I tapped it and said testing, causing it to make a loud dying noise and everyone in the room to gasp and cover their ears.

He had to make a few adjustments to the microphones, but then he told us we were ready to get going. I quickly caught Edward's eye. "Did you sign us up?" I asked, covering the microphone with my hand.

"No." He did the same thing with his microphone. "I thought you did."

I snorted. "Why the hell would _I_ sign us up for karaoke?"

Except I forgot to cover my microphone that time, and the whole place heard me.

Whatever.

The beat started up and I stared awkwardly out at the blurry silhouettes, who were all watching me and Edward intently. Honestly, I had the worst singing voice ever. I didn't know what Alice was thinking here.

The words started, and Edward sang. He had a nice voice. Better than that balding guy, at least. I managed to join him in kind of a whisper, not wanting to go too loudly with it. In the corner of my eye, someone started to clap and say, "WOOHOO! GO BELLA!"

Yeah. Alice was going to die.

When the chorus came I felt a little more comfortable, even if the light was beating hard down on me, because Edward looked comfortable. He was really getting into it, too, and beside him and his weird dance moves with his feet I wondered how boring I must've looked. So, to the beat, I clapped my hands above my head. And sang a little louder. But only a little.

A bunch of people started clapping in tune to me, drowning out my voice, so I had to raise it. I didn't have the best voice, no, especially next to Edward's. But his just being present made mine sound better than it actually was. At the second chorus, he took his microphone out of the stand to face me, so, awkwardly, I did the same. He walked towards me, I took steps back. Just as I was about to fall off the stage, I started walking towards him, taking the lead.

Okay, I guess it was a little fun, but Alice was still going to die.

By the time the last chorus came on I was going full out, dancing around the stage and letting Edward spin me around at times. Everyone was clapping, which must've meant I wasn't _that_ bad, and dancing around with Edward was one of the best feelings ever. He made it feel like the audience wasn't even watching us. That it was just the two of us, singing and dancing along to Kenny Loggins.

The music cut off, and he smiled at me. "Not too shabby, Swan."

"Not too shabby either, Cullen."

We turned around to the audience. In a burst of excitement, I threw my arms in the air and was about to yell out _Footloose, _when the toe of my shoe caught on a cord. I tried to untangle it by walking forward and shaking it off, but this was probably the worst thing I could've done, because that pulled Edward's microphone onto the ground making a big noise. I leaned over to pick it up, trying to ignore the dramatic yells going through the crowd, but dropped my own mike in the process.

I didn't see Goatee Guy coming onto the stage until it was too late, and I had stood up with both microphones in the palm of my hand. And, since he was right behind me, I kinda hit him in the forehead with one.

"Oh _shit_," I said, and of course one of the damn microphones had to be right under my mouth when I said it. Parents covered their kids' ears quickly and glared up at me.

Edward looked on with amusement the entire time, not caring to take any involvement in it. I didn't really blame him.

"OKAY!" Goatee Guy, holding the spot on his forehead where I had hit him with the microphone. He grasped both microphones from me in one hand and shooed us off the stage. "Wasn't that an interesting performance? Let's here it one more time for Bella and Edward!"

Only a few people bothered to clap, now.

Edward and I walked back to the couch in silence. And then, upon seeing Alice and Jasper, we both burst into a fit of laughter.

***

He drove me home in his Volvo, which, of course, had been repaired. I did end up paying for some of it, though, so the guilt wasn't _that_ bad.

We sang along to the radio the whole way to my house. Even when the Britney Spears songs came on, we didn't stop. Living in the moment with Edward was better than anything else with anyone else. I never wanted it to end.

He pulled into my driveway and walked me to my door, the usual boyfriend-girlfriend stuff.

And I don't want to say I was expecting him to kiss me or whatever. That's very cliché. But I was. Because, I mean, when you walk a girl to her door, what else are you going to do? Just leave?

No. That just isn't how the routine goes.

"Good night," Edward said, kissing me lightly on the lips. "I'll see you Monday at school."

"Bye," I said, and waved to him as he got in his Volvo, and drove off down the block.

***

The next weekend, of course we all went out again. This time, it was my choice. I picked Vino, only because we had never really gotten a chance to dine there together, no matter how expensive it might've turned out to be.

My outfit was kind of pretty, actually: a flowy red shirt with a black belt below the bust, paired with leggings and boots. The down side was that the boots had heels.

Since that night, at karaoke, I hadn't really cared much about what other people thought, like I did before. When Rosalie glared at me in the hallways, I turned my head and began talking to Alice and Jessica about something or other. When she tried to insult me, I would just blink at her, and then go back to whatever I was doing. Like she wasn't worth the time.

And I guess she wasn't.

And since that night at karaoke, I felt better. Like something had been missing before, but when Edward and I were standing up there and dancing and singing, I got that missing piece back, no matter how corny/cheesy that sounds.

Edward picked me up at six that evening to go to Vino. He had on jeans and a sports jacket, which was fine, because I wouldn't expect him to go any more formal than that.

And as he led me down my driveway and to his car, I could only pray I wouldn't trip.


	21. How To Write A Sequel

**A/N: Hey, everyone still reading this. This is long long LONG overdue. But I'm just posting this chapter for the sequel here, first, so you guys can take a look at what's gonna come up.**

**I'm considering taking the stranded island thing out, depending on what you guys all say. If you like it, I'll leave it in. If you don't, I'll take it out.**

**And no, if I do include it I won't make it cheesy and stupid. Sort of like a Gilligan's Island cliché, but not quite, and more modernized. **

**So anyways, review. (: **

**How to Have a Good Summer**

10. Be with your friends.

9. Be with your boyfriend.

8. Get a tan. Yeah, an actual tan. Not one of those tans that make you look like an orange.

7. Go to the gym to get a good-looking body.

6. Go to the beach in said body.

5. Get into a student learning program.

4. Which takes you to the Bahamas.

3. With friends.

2. And boyfriend.

1. HAVE FUN!

**How NOT to Have a Good Summer**

10. Work at the same sucky job as Rosalie Hale.

9. Along with some other Cute Guy. Who isn't your boyfriend.

8. Working out in the gym isn't actually as easy as they make it look on TV.

7. Get into a student learning program.

6. Yeah, you're in the Bahamas, but they don't call it a student learning program for nothing.

5. Get stuck with Rosalie Hale entire summer.

4. And, yes, that includes rooming with her. And her blackmailing you. For something you might've sort've done that you shouldn't have.

3. Sneak onto stolen sailboat that Rosalie and Cute Guy and some other people take out to sea. Well, who knew it was stolen?

2. Lose track of time and fall asleep on said sailboat, get stuck in storm, seasick on expensive leather couch and, furthermore, get stranded on a desert island with Rosalie Hale, Cute Guy, and a bunch of other people you've never met.

1. So, let's sum this up, shall we? Spend the summer that's supposed to be the best summer of your life (according to the brochure) working, working out, and trying to get off a deserted island with no reception, therefore making it the worst two months you've ever experienced, by far.


	22. Sorry

**So, guys, here's the deal.**

**I tried writing the first chapter and I couldn't do it. And it's not writer's block, because I can write my other Fanfiction fine. I think that I've lost the motivation I had starting off writing this story, which may sound absolutely ridiculous to you, but I have.**

** I cou****ld always force myself to write the chapters, but it wouldn't turn out right. It'd turn out, basically, like a piece of crappy writing. **

** So, here are our options right now:**

**I stop writing the story. ****I'm not sure how many of you actually do want me to keep writing.**

**I take a one-month break completely from this story, coming back to it once my school is finished and I don't have to study for final exams, ****and hope that summer vacation will give me back that determination. **

**If I do continue I don't want it to be crappy, ****I want to do my best at it, so I feel that that one-month break is crucial. Maybe write a couple exciting scenes to get me going again.**

**And I don't want this decision to be up to me, I want you guys to decide. ****Majority rules, of course, and please be honest. If you truly don't think I should continue writing, if you genuinely think it's a waste of my time, then say so. Just be civil with me.**

**Review on what you think. Really, a simple "****Keep writing" or "Don't bother" will suffice. Anything that might help.**

**Thank you.**

—**Chocolatiee**


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